William Faulkner is rightfully called the pioneer of American gothic literature. Once you google ‘American gothic literature,’ there are high chances you’ll get a review of “A Rose for Emily”. Written in 1930, this short story set a leading tone for all American gothic writers who would come later. In this iconic short story, we see Faulkner’s imagery with deeply unsettling characters along with a well-written analysis of socio-economic changes.
Characters
Before diving into the full “A Rose for Emily” review, let’s learn more about the characters.
Emily Grierson
A white upper-middle-class woman and the main character of the story. Spoiler alert! Succeeds at hiding her lover’s corpse in the attic. Emily’s wild actions result from a difficult childhood and untreated schizophrenia.
Colonel Sartoris
A mayor who remitted Emily’s taxes. Faulkner mentions him a few times in the story. Emily talks about him in conversation with other mayors.
Mr. Grierson
Mr. Grierson is Emily’s father. The author often mentions him in the story as a source of Emily’s anxiety. We see him with a horsewhip in the house once. Though it’s unclear, we might easily suggest that he controlled Emily and used to beat her. In the end, Faulkner says that Grierson was ‘furious.’
Tobe
Emily’s servant who stays loyal to her and keeps the ‘corpse’ secret till death.
Homer Barron
A young lover of Emily whom she poisons and hides in the house.
You could find more information about the characters here:
“A Rose for Emily” Character Analysis
Imagery
There is a funeral at the very beginning of this highly unsettling story. A funeral itself is a leitmotif in many horrors and thrillers. Rarely a book review on Edgar Allan Poe stories would contain no corpses, funerals, and deaths. The same goes for Faulkner. For instance, the author introduces a metaphor of a house with a ‘stubborn and coquettish decay.’ The latter is a direct symbol of American gothic culture. We all remember the good old house in ‘Psycho’ by Alfred Hitchcock. Compare the settings of ‘Psycho’ to “A Rose for Emily” review, and you’ll see the same gothic surroundings.
Everything happens in this rotting house. Emily’s father dies here, and mayors meet her inside the house to inform her on taxes. Dark and full of dust, a house is a place of Emily’s deepest and the scariest intentions. This is where (spoiler alert!) she poisons Homer Barron and keeps him decaying for years.
Another interesting image in “A Rose for Emily” book is one of death. The box with arsenic has a creepy picture of a skull and bones. Meanwhile, the depiction of Emily earlier in the story reminds one of death. Emily’s thinness and black sockets remind the reader of the face of a creature who has never seen the light.
Madness and Psychoanalysis
Yes, we get a drama set in a decaying house with pillars and the 1870s’ society. But what sounds like a recitation of one’s life is a story of madness. We observe Emily Grierson, a white upper-middle-class woman, her losses and traumas. Only in the end, we understand the true hidden horror of her life. Blame it on the family history of mental illness or society, Emily Grierson’s mental health is the central factor in her decisions.
Madness is the main theme in the story, and “A Rose for Emily” critical review is a place to mention it. We learn that Emily had a sick relative, yet making her predisposed to a mental illness. However, Faulkner revolutionizes the treatment of a character with a mental disease. The author adds popular psychoanalysis, showing Emily’s father as an authoritarian figure. In the end, with nurture and nature factors combined, Emily does what feels right. Used to living with authoritarian men, she recreates the familiar surroundings.
Social Changes Depicted in the Story
American gothic was an epoch in the literature that explored the decaying morals of the nineteenth century. No book review can be written without using the sociological lens. We see the Grierson family turning into paupers decades after the Civil war. The latter is important since American society radically changed after the war happened. A new generation of mayors occurred. Taxes were imposed in the world of riches, while slavery was abolished.
However, no changes happened in the 1870s Victorian house where Emily and her father lived. By clinging to their past, Emily and her father lose respect from society. In the end, the characters represent the old-fashioned upper class from the far South with cotton fields.
Final Thoughts
In the end, “A Rose for Emily” review proves that the main theme of American gothic literature is societal changes. But mostly, the inability of the American society to accept the change and leave the past behind. Any other book review of Faulkner’s story would emphasize the author’s love for tragedy. Whether you read this story as a drama or thriller, do not forget that American gothic is alive today. Not because the American society has not changed, but because the mystery of the human heart remains unsolved.
