23rd Annual Student Research Conference
William Faulkner and "A Rose for Emily": Products of Their Time
Rachelle Q. Wales
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
"There was a young girl with a young girl's normal aspirations to find love...a husband and a family," described William Faulkner in response to an interview question regarding the protagonist of "A Rose for Emily." The story exhibits the tragic life and death of an upper-class southern woman, Miss Emily Grierson, the "fallen monument" of the town and, as the reader later discovers, a murderess. Miss Grierson and the women of less sophistication in the town easily conform to the mold of a stereotypical feminine template. The text illustrates that in some ways Faulkner and his ghost tale are socially conditioned and constructed products of their time. This paper will explore the historical context that fashioned Faulkner's stereotypical view of women in "A Rose for Emily" and investigate the connections between his perhaps unconsciously internalized perspective of women and the conventional image of the female in the early twentieth century.
Keywords: William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily", Stereotypical, Feminine
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 48-5
Location: VH 1432
Time: 2:15