William Faulkner’s Psychological Short Story: A Rose For Emily (Essay Sample)

Rose for Emily
William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily" is a tale rich in layers, where language, strong characters and the mixed chronology lead the readers along a path where the old and new clash and the memory and reality come together, to invest the story with a unique psychological impact. Inspite of being a short story, ‘A Rose for Emily" has been a favored piece for critical examination and critics have suggested various interpretations of this story which centers around Emily Grierson, who gets away with murder, at the turn of the century antebellum South. Celia Rodriguez considers the story as a contrast between past and present, while Ray West sees in it an attempt to stop time and Jack Scherting reads in Emily’s behavior an oedipal complex. (Blythe, 192)
The life of Emily Grierson is a tableau of several mental and emotional processes which are brought about both consciously and unconsciously. This constitutes the psychodynamic aspect of the story, where the actions, personality and attitudes as well as behavior are determined by these processes. Emily Grierson may have her eccentricities but she is a strong, independent woman who refuses to be cowed down by the City Council and its people.
All her actions stem from her individualistic st...