"A Rose for Emily," by William Faulkner, tells us a story about Miss Emily Grierson. The story is divided into five sections, and each one has its own topic about events in Emily's life. The first section is about Emily's death and how people in her town attend her funeral. In the second part, the narrator describes a time which is about thirty years earlier when she refuses an inquiry of the town leader. In the next part, the narrator talks about the illness that Emily has suffered for a long time. The fourth section is about the fears of people in town. People are afraid that Emily kills herself with poison. In the last part, the narrator describes what happens after Emily's death. In this story, language plays an important role. It not only makes the story more interesting but also makes readers follow the events more closely and think about those more clearly. Three elements of language I find interesting in this story are symbolism, irony and imagery.
The symbolism is the most important element in "A Rose for Emily." A symbol is used to imply things which otherwise are unable to be said. Writers also can use symbols to make stories more profound and entertaining. One example of the symbolism in "A Rose for Emily" is in the tile: "Rose". We usually think of rose as a symbol of love. In the story, Emily's love is Homer Barron. Her father thinks that "None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such." Therefore, Emily has not really dated and enjoyed the "Rose of Love", until her father dies, and Homer comes. However, the "Rose" of the title exists far beyond the edge of any literary meaning. "The rose represents secrecy: the confidential relationship between the author and his character, with all of the privileged information withheld" (Getty).
Another example of the prominent symbolism is the crayon portrait of Miss Emily's father which is hung "on a tarnished gilt easel before the fireplace.
