Instructions from professor: Write a short essay (1-2 pages) - a brief character analysis of Emily. Use examples from the story to support and develop the thesis. What details contribute to this characterization? Does the final revelation seem consistent with what we learned about her earlier in the story?
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In a splintered time frame, an unnamed narrator tells the story of a woman who has died and the events that influenced her personality from the third person view of a speaker who knew Emily only from a distance, just as the other citizens of their town did. Isolation and emotional deprivation help to explain the behaviors of a desperate old woman.
Emily Grierson came from a well-to-do family background. She had lived in a fine house on the town's "most select street." Emily was the quintessential Southern belle. Her father treated her as a delicate possession and instilled in her the attitude of being above everyone else by virtue of her family name.
Emily's Birthday 2009
A portrait of Emily, painted by her brother Branwe...
Emily Blunt at the Orange British Academy Film Awa...He kept her isolated from potential suitors, even though she probably would have accepted offers of courtship and marriage. "She wouldn't have turned down all of her chances if they had really materialized." Sadly, no one asked.
After her father's death, Emily chose to isolate herself from the newer generations of townspeople, except for a short time when she gave china-painting lessons in her home.
The citizens often treated her as an unapproachable icon rather than as a person with feelings, and Emily had no sense of belonging in her community. They whispered and clucked behind her back as in the incident where neighbors complained of a foul smell at her home. No one wanted to speak to her about it, so several men "slunk about the house like burglars...They broke open the...
Character Analysis of Emily
You've written an excellent paper and I agree with your professor's comments. I'd like to comment on the paragraphs your professor didn't say anything specifically about. Paragraph 1: Good introduction which effectively draws the reader in. Paragraph 4: Insightful analysis of the reactions of Emily's neighbors to her. Paragraph 6: Good wrap-up of story. Your conclusions are well founded. I'm reminded of a Robert Browning poem called "Porphyria's Lover" in which the hapless victim was also killed by one not at all fully sane.
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