Essay Sample on A Rose for Emily: Faulkner's Southern Gothic Masterpiece

Introduction

The story Arose for Emily is a short story done by a renowned American writer who goes by the name of William Faulkner and first published in the year 1930, the month of April. It is a fiction based story that features a famous woman in the town by the name of Emily Grierson, who later forms a quire behavior following his father's demise (Wallace 105). The changed behavior of Emily surprises many people who knew her. In the Southern Gothic Literary Movement in the 18th century in England and spread to America where it became popular as writers embraced it. During this period, the authors were attempting to steer clear of the antebellum South stereotypes. They had high hopes of bringing Gothic melodrama into the southern aspect to focus on the folkways of the south (Wallace 105).

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Setting and Characterization in "A Rose for Emily": Foreshadowing and Themes

In this story, William Faulkner applies the use of setting and characterization, which foreshadows and outlines the peak of the story (Wallace 105). He also uses metaphors that are useful in his case as they prepare the readers for the bittersweet conclusion of the story. Additionally, there are several themes that the story brings out, such as those of respect and loss of, and these themes appear throughout the story. In the subject of failure, the story commences with the death that takes the readers back to the past and also gives some clue towards the end of a woman as well as the traditions of the past that she had personified (Wallace 105).

William Faulkner crafts carefully a multilayered masterpiece and also applies several settings, characterization alongside themes that drive it along. The house of Emily is set as an excellent metaphor for the occurrences that were taking place during that particular time (Wallace 105). The story also outlines the themes of the decadence of the life and values of Emily and those of the southern culture and their contradictions with those of the upcoming generations.

The story also has some elements of vivid description, which is evident when the writer says that the house of Emily was located in a prominent neighborhood that had been degraded. He also describes the house as a squarish frame house that was once painted white and with beautiful spires and scrolled balconies (Wallace 106). The description gives the reader a clear image of how the house was looking at that time. The story goes on to describe the future of the house and mentions that it was looking awkward and was surrounded by cotton wagons and fuel pumps, and due to this, the people of the town would term it as an eyesore. Additionally, a vivid description is present when the writer describes Emily's appearance as a slender figure in white and compares it to her current appearance e of a small, fat woman in black (Wallace 107). The description also gives a clear image of this character by the name of Emily.

"The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Critique of Obsession with Perfection

The Birthmark is a short story that was done by an American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne which was first published in March the year 1843. The short story critiques the obsession that human beings have with perfection. The tale is about a brilliant scientist who was also a philosopher who has his focus in marrying a beautiful woman, dropping his previous focus from his science and experimentation career (Hawthorne and Winifred 26). The lovely lady that Aylmer thinks of marrying appears physically appealing even though she has a small birthmark, which is red in the shape of a hand on her neck, and the lady goes by the name Georgiana. The story, therefore, proceeds and portrays the obsession that Aylmer was developing towards the birthmark on the lady's cheek (Hawthorne and Winifred 26). The events of this story were taking place inside the house of Aylmer over several days. The story uses an omniscient third person and uses the events of the story and the characters with their subjects.

Conflict and Stylistic Devices in "The Birthmark": Foreshadowing and Allusions

The story paints a picture of a significant conflict when Aylmer keeps on wanting to remove the birthmark that his wife Georgiana has on her neck, as well as his overwhelming obsession with a perfect human (Hawthorne and Winifred 27). He insists on removing the birthmark until he takes Georgiana to his laboratory, where she drinks the liquid that he gives her to erase the birthmark. After Georgiana takes the fluid, the climax of the story is reached. Nathaniel Hawthorne applies stylistic devices in his work such as foreshadowing which the readers are able to see the death of Georgiana through the unsuccessful history of Aylmer and his risky and harmful experiments. Additionally, his dream about cutting out the birthmark at Georgiana's neck and heart also foreshadows her death (Hawthorne and Winifred 27). Foreshadow of Georgiana's death continues to be evident when she faints after arriving at Aylmer's laboratory for the first time.

There is the use of allusions in the story as several mythological and historical references are evident in the story, which does not appear in the story, A Rose for Emily. Allusions are seen when Aylmer relates himself to Pygmalion, which was a mythological figure that was mostly thought to be connected to Ovid (Hawthorne and Winifred 28). Imagery has also been used in the story; for instance, Aylmer finds the birthmark as a bad thing, and that is among the reasons why he wanted it removed. He sees it as a sign of imperfection when on a human's body and thinks that Georgiana would be perfect after the mark was removed. The paradox is also present in the story as the characterization of the birthmark by Georgiana as deadly provokes a mystery since, typically, no birthmark is fatal hence describing it as fatal may seem unusual (Hawthorne and Winifred 26). Lastly, there have been several elements of personification throughout the story where the writer personifies the nature as the creator of the life in it and also an enemy to Aylmer. Additionally, the birthmark on Georgiana's neck is described as a shape of the hand, and the birthmark is personified as inseparable.

Conclusion

Overall, in both stories, there are several instances of fiction and application of several other stylistic devices such as metaphors, which have been primarily used in A Rose for Emily. The vivid description has also been evident in the description of instances in the story, such as the appearance of Emily as well as her house. In the tale of Birthmark, several stylistic devices are applied, such as paradox, foreshadowing, and personification, among others. The two stories also have outlined clearly the themes of loss and respect as evident in A Rose for Emily, and ideas of perfection and obsession in the tale, Birthmark.

Work Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, and Winifred Phillips. The birthmark. Alex Catalogue, 1996.

Wallace, James M. "Faulkner's a Rose for Emily." The Explicator 50.2 (1992): 105-107.