A Rose For Emily

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Symbolism in William Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily"� Symbolism runs our life. It's in everything we do. The American flag symbolizes our freedom and what the U.S. went through to get it. Writers use symbols to add creative insights to there stories. These insights allow the reader to dive into a story and analyze the different aspects the writer is trying to get across. THESIS: In William Faulkner's short story, "A Rose For Emily,"� the author uses symbolism to convey areas and meanings of the story which would not be picked up on otherwise.

First, the past is symbolized throughout the story in Ms. Emily and her place of residence. She is a representation of the Old South and the way things use to be. She had a Negro servant and the whole nine yards. She is referred to in the story as a "fallen monument."�(90) Faulkner tries to show the collapse of the old ways and the bringing in of the new through his description of Ms.

Emily and the Grierson Estate. The next generation was taking over and her way of life had all but vanished. She is described in the story as having "two pieces of coal pressed into a lump of dough,"�(90) which symbolizes her cold hard feeling about the new society surrounding her. Emily herself is symbolic of the changing of the guard from the old to the new. Refusing to pay taxes, she further illustrates her feelings toward the new south.

Next, Emily is portrayed in her younger years as almost a slave herself. Her father would not allow Emily to be courted and was kept from the pleasures in life. "["¦] Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back...