Insanity in A Rose for Emily Essay - 1245 Words

The author, William Faulkner, has a collection of books, short stories, and poems under his name. Through his vast collection of works, Faulkner attempts to discuss and bring awareness to numerous aspects of life. More often than not, his works were created to reflect aspects of life found within the south. Family dynamics, race, gender, social class, war, incest, racism, suicide, necrophilia, and mental illness are just some of the aspects that Faulkner explored. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily† the aspects of necrophilia and mental illness along with the societal biases that were observed in a small-town setting are seen to be a part of this captivating story. These aspects ultimately intertwine with the idea of insanity that characterizes â€Å"A Rose†¦show more content†¦Also during that time period a common treatment for such disorders included a procedure known as trephining. This procedure included chipping a hole into the skull of the afflicted person. This procedu re has endured through time and is still used today in a more refined way to treat medical problems like migraines and skull fractures. When dealing with mental afflictions, Ancient Egyptians recommended modern methods like engaging in recreational activities like dancing, and painting. In the past it has also been common to lock up in jails or dungeons individuals who were mentally ill and who acted out. In the 17th century drugs like laudanum, unguents, opium grains were used as sedatives to ease the torment that mentally ill individuals would endure. At certain points in time, the mentally ill were housed in monasteries up until asylums were created and used to hold these individuals. A person’s insanity can often lead to them being judged and looked down upon by society because they can’t understand that their actions are not accepted in society. This statement is true in relation to the story, â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, in the story it is seen how the townspeople speculate about the strangeness of Emily and her family. The story is narrated by several generations of men and women from the town and unlike other stories, the chronology is all over theShow MoreRelatedA Rose for Emily: Insanity, Murder and Death Essay1292 Words   |  6 PagesKimberly Sargent Dr. Ha-Birdsong English 1213 October 24, 2008 â€Å"A Rose for Emily†: Insanity, Murder and Death â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner, is a short story telling the life of Emily Grierson Throughout the story, Emily progresses from being a young â€Å"slender figure in white† (82) to, after her father’s death, having short hair that made â€Å"her look like a girl, with a vague resemblance to those angels in colored church windows-sort of tragic and serene† (83), and finally lookingRead More Insanity and Madness in A Rose For Emily and Yellow Wallpaper965 Words   |  4 PagesInsanity in A Rose For Emily And The Yellow Wallpaper    The women in Faulkners and Gilmans stories are victims of male over-protectiveness.   The men that rule their lives trap Emily in A Rose For Emily and the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper. Each character must retreat into their own world as an escape from reality. Emily is destroyed by her fathers over-protectiveness. He prevents her from courting anyone as none of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and suchRead More Loneliness to Insanity and Madness in A Rose for Emily and The Yellow Wall-Paper1545 Words   |  7 PagesFrom Loneliness to Insanity in A Rose for Emily and The Yellow Wall-Paper      Ã‚   In The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir states that within a patriarchal society woman does not enjoy the dignity of being a person; she herself forms a part of the patrimony of a man: first of her father, then of her husband (82-3). Both Emily Grierson in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily and the narrator of Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wall-Paper are forced into solitude simply because they are womenRead MoreThe, The Yellow Wallpaper, And Mississippi Native William Faulkner s `` A Rose For Emily ``869 Words   |  4 Pagesand Mississippi native William Faulkner’s (1897-1962) â€Å"A Rose for Emily† both contain extreme delusional characters (â€Å"Charlotte Perkins Gilman†, â€Å"William Faulkner†). These characters lose touch with the real world and slowly begin to exhibit madness. Although both characters are unable to grasp reality, they both express distinct methods that show the severity and capability of their insanity. Gilman’s and Faulkner’s main characters, Emily and the other who is unnamed, both lose touch with realityRead MoreCharacter Comparison for The Fall of the House of Usher and A Rose for Emily1109 Words   |  5 PagesPoe and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† written by William Faulkner, we see common themes of a gothic genre filled with rhetorical twists and turns. The dynamics in each work are elaborately depicted through the eyes of two narrators who are watching these pieces unfold. Many similar themes experienced in both Poe and Faulkner’s work deal with the ideology of death and preservation in regard to the one’s loved and lovers. Roderick Usher is the main character in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† and Emily GriersonRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper, By Charlotte Perkins Gilman And A Rose For Emily895 Words   |  4 Pageswritten by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† written by William Faulkner, have a lot in commo n regarding the main characters. Each narrative focuses on the lifestyle and behavior of a bizarre woman who has been kept away for a certain period of time. One could argue that these women were not initially deranged, though something must have occurred to send them on such a downward spiral. The main characters in each account, Jane and Miss Emily, endure situations in their lives which proveRead MoreThe Image of Women in the Eighteenth Century Essay872 Words   |  4 Pagesperson to their ruin. From A Rose For Emily and The Yellow Wallpaper, we can see very clearly the evident that lead these women to their tragic ending. In A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner, a noble woman being isolated from people in her town and because of loneliness she end up insane and have a tragic life. Also in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator is being restricted to all her favorite things and that leads her to insanity. These two women have one thingRead MoreEssay about A Withering Rose inWilliam Faulkner’s, A Rose For Emily540 Words   |  3 PagesWilliam Faulkner’s, A Rose For Emily, encompasses various themes, but the theme most prevalent in the short story is decay. Time waits for no one, and for Miss Emily Grierson, time left her behind. A Rose For Emily depicts the motionless decay of a woman stuck in time, as her concept of reality is lost. Throughout the story Faulkner characterizes Emily and the atmosphere around her as addled and withered. In the short story, A Rose For Emily, by William Faulkner, a woman is ultimately overcome byRead MoreWilliam Faulkner s `` A Rose For Emily ``953 Words   |  4 PagesAllen Poe and Stephen King are known for their creepy writings, William Faulkner has achieved a level of disturbing that is hardly reached in short stories. A Rose for Emily is a story that shows how the insanity of one woman is able to shock an entire town, even in death. When first reading A Rose for Emily, anyone can see how twisted Emily Grierson is. Not only for the fact that she was sleeping in the same bed as a corpse, but because this was not the first time that she had kept a dead body inRead More Theme of Death in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily Essay1051 Words   |  5 PagesTheme of Death in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily William Faulkners A Rose for Emily is a tragic tale of a Southern aristocrat, Miss Emily Grierson, who is the subject of a towns obsession.   The narrator, a member of the town, tells the story of what transpires in a decaying old Southern house that is always under the watchful eye of the townspeople.   They witness Miss Emilys life, her fathers death, her turn to insanity and the death of both her and her lover.   The theme