a rose for emily 观后感

Arosefor Emily 读后感Although very short, A Rose for Emily, one of works of Faulkner, is a complex story which consists of several elements, such as love, detection, fantasy and psychology. However, it seems that the heroin in the story called Emily Grierson is more complex than the story itself. It is said the character decides the fate. To Emily, she had a tragic fate which was largely dependent on her multiple characters. According to Faulkner, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty and care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town. In fact, she was a sacrifice dedicated to the Old South. Under the background of the special age, she was a lamentable prisoner who lived in the past. Because of her inadaptability to and isolation from the society, Emily's character developed abnormally and morbidly, which resulted in her tragic end. Firstly, she was traditional. As we know, Emily lived in the old mansion all through her life, which was the sole estate her father left her and she wouldn't like to change the house at all. What she did and what she said completely followed the tradition. Suppressing her human wishes and desires and covering up her true self, she was strictly restricted by the norms of the Old South. She could not take part in the social life, and even had a family. This was the great price she had to pay as a spiritual pillar supporting the disintegrating Old South. Also, this is the root of her distorted personality and morbid character. Secondly, Emily was quite imperturbable. Every time people argued with Emily, she was able to keep calm and clear-headed. With only a few words, she always vanquished them. In this regard, we have to acknowledge Emily's courage and intelligence. Nevertheless, Emily's bravery is far more than debating for her before so many people. Unbelievably but truly, she cruelly killed his boyfriend and preserved his corpse for so many years. What's more, she often slept beside the body. Although the author doesn't express this point directly in the story, we can easily see through from the clue —a long strand of iron-gray hair. Of course, she was strong-willed as well. Nobody could control her and nothing could disturb her. As long as she wanted to, she simply would make it (Actually she had been separated from her true self and had no idea about what was she really wanted). She was living in an isolated world from the others', so she was lonely. Nobody understood her and nobody loved her —her father had been dead, while her sweetheart deserted her. Maybe in her opinion, killing Homer Barron and preserving his body is the sole way to hold him. That is to say, she went to extremes entirely to defend her love. And she thought she succeeded. In addition, Emily was opinionated, haughty, cautious, and spoony. In one word, she was a poor sacrifice of Old South. In order to perform the functions of a symbol of the special system and culture, instead of living in a life of her own, she lost herself in the ceaseless restrictions. She truly should have been freedom-desired, vivacious, pure and kind-hearted rather than offish, cruel and standpat.

A Rose For Emily Like so many American writers Faulkner found himself again and againwriting short stories some of which are considered as equally important as his bestnovels. Good as his short stories are they seem always at the threshold of beingabsorbed into the Yoknapatawpha saga —that legendary matrix which is Faulkner’sreal achievement. However for a beginner of Faulkner scholarship his short storiesmay well be an easy start. “A Rose for Emily” is Faulkner’s first short story publishedin 1930. Set in the town of Jefferson in Yoknopatawpha the story focuses on EmilyGrierson an eccentric spinster who refuses to accept the passage of time or theinevitable change and loss that accompanies it. Simple as it is in plot the story ispregnant with meaning. As a descendent of the Southern aristocracy Emily is typical ofthose in Faulkner’s Yoknapatwapha stories who are the symbols of the Old South butthe prisoners of the past. In this story Faulkner