Establishment of Tone and Atmosphere in "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner

Introduction

In the story "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner is an emotional narration that entices sorrow and joy over the death of the protagonist. Faulkner brings forth his viewpoint to show the different mood swings that drive the conspiracy. He uses expertise in the literary blending of atmosphere and tone to distinguish between the author's attitude and the attitude he creates for his readers. This paper will present the distinct establishment of the mood and atmosphere applied by the author in developing this plot.

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The Sarcasm of the Title: Unveiling the Emotional Manipulation

Faulkner employs sarcasm right from the topic awarded to the story. The narration of the story revolves around the misery of Miss Emily Grierson lonely life and her miserable death. The author uses the title "A Rose for Emily" he is comical in the sense that the literal meaning of the rose flower could be an obituary for the protagonist's demise or the consolation for her long lonely life. In this tone, the author can entice the readers' emotions and sympathy towards the encounters of the whole plot. The use of the title of the story, the author, can create a mood fit for the story's understanding and reactions towards Miss Emily, the town, Emily's father, the women, and the narrator.

Jefferson as a Character: Depicting Gossip, Prejudice, and Classism

The author's presentation of the town - Jefferson - signifies it like a vital character in the story. The tone he employs to depict the gossip, prejudice, and classism of the people appeals to the reader the setting their narration exists. Further, the choice of genre communicates to the reader the background characteristics of the period of this literal piecework. The climate integration of the readers and author's perception draws the understanding of the elements characterized by the town. Using cautious and sarcastic choice or language helps the reader to identify with the mindset of the city. Again, Faulkner presents the protagonist using double-edged elements; he uses appraising adjectives to show the elegance of her early life. In this tone, the author can cheer the reading atmosphere on the class and extravagance of Miss Emily's childhood and earlier life before the death of her father. During the same line of narration, the writer makes the reader aware of the void in her unfulfilled life. The reader is enlightened on the lack of love in Emily's life due to her father's effort to keep any potential suitor away. The reader gets lured to sympathize with Emily.

Miss Emily's Struggle to Fit In: Tone and Reader's Response

Faulkner employs sad feeling when he narrates of the denial and sadness that befall Emily after her father's death. The tone brought to the circumstance surrounding Emily's life brings sympathy whereas the reader registers some sought of relief to the magnificent radiance of the father to let her daughter find love. Mixed reactions from the town change the atmosphere of the plot because to the expectations of the reader Homer comes to her rescue. The mood developed in this narration leaves the reader wondering the intentions of the narrator when the town gossips wish for Emily's death. Findings love could have brought joy and settlement to Emily's life, but the type of love Homer was to offer was worse than her demise.

Conclusion

The exploration of the author's tone in addressing the formal and informal aspects that are unfolding in the story enlightens the reader to a clear understanding of the elements composing the plot: the people in the city, the irony of the events brought about by the principle life issues like the power of death, the power of traditions, and the embrace of change. The recount of the three deaths in the story brings different feelings to the reader and the characters in the story. Miss Emily's refusal to shed old traditions and embrace the change of times shows her inability to fit in the society and also to the appeal of the reader. Many of these elements used by the author give the tone of the work to enhance the atmosphere drawn by the reader resulting in happy, sad and critic moods.

Works cited

Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily.". In Collected Stories of William Faulkner, 119-30. New York: Vintage, 1934.