A Comparative Analysis: A&P and A Rose for Emily (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
English 100-005
24 October 2014
A Comparative Analysis: A&P and A Rose for Emily
Great literary works have always used particular writing techniques to convey specific messages. In the works of William Faulkner and John Updike, some of these techniques are put to use. A Rose for Emily talks about the life of Emily Grierson. Her life is, or rather, was mysterious, because she is dead. Throughout the narration, individual events of her life are brought to the fore when the town dwellers ponder over her strange life. On the other hand, in A&P, Updike narrates the story of a grocery worker, Sammy, who humorously brings out the central themes of the book in a chronological fashion. This essay analyzes these two stories in the syntactical, semantic and lexical levels and the similarities and differences with which the authors tell their stories.
At the lexical level, both works use simple words. These simple words show in detail the setting and atmosphere where the events took place.
She came down a little hard on her heels, as if she didn’t walk on her bare feet that much, putting down her heels and then letting the weight move along her toes as if she was testing the floor with every step, putting a little deliberate action into it (Updike 230).
Although the sentence is long, comprehending it is made easy through the use of simple words. Likewise, William Faulkner also uses simple words, in explaining the life of Emily. However, there he uses the pronoun ‘We’ rather than ‘I’ throughout the narrative.
We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will (Faulkner 12).
The use of ‘We’ shows the hidden assumption that the dwellers of Jefferson Town had for Emily. It shows how the whole town had agreed on the assumptions discussed in the narration.
Furthermore, both stories use a combination of long and short sentences. With reference to the statements in the previous paragraph, the long sentence in A&P holds the reader to a single thought that the author tries to convey. These ideas are further emphasized by the short sentences. Moreover, the short sentences link the different ideas condensed in the long sentences. This string helps the reader to build the image of the story. For Instance, one can see how Sammy describes the girls with surprising detail and also the description of the crayon portrait in Emily’s house.
Although there is a mixture of sentence types, the concept of symbology is significantly used by William Faulkner. For example, the decay of Emily’s house represents the town’s change from a residential to an industrial place. The crayon portrait is also symbolic of the oppressive hold of the past on Emily’s present. The locked room and the long iron-gray hair found on the pillow side symbolize the hidden story of Mrs. Grierson. Most importantly, that a man from the north and a lady from the south fall in love displays the peace that prevailed after the civil war. This technique shows the objective argument that the author tries to emphasize on, at that particular time in America. It also masterfully brings out the central themes of the story.
The aspect of chronology is also seen in only one of the two narrations. In A&P, Sammy talks of how the three girls walked into the point where Sammy is sacked. This style of writing hooks readers to the plot, wanting to know what happens next. On the other hand, A Rose for Emily uses flashback. The story starts when Emily is dead. The plot is then built thematically, as the town takes readers through the mysterious events that preceded the demise of Emily. Also, the title points to love, but the central theme contrasts this idea. In both of these techniques, the authors target certain subject matters. In Faulkner’s story, the primary theme is change. Emily finds it hard to accept change. She is, therefore, fearful. The theme covers death, as was the case of Emily’s father and Homer Barron; the decline of the South; and the isolation that follows both death and decline (Song 2013). In A&P, several themes are evident. The theme of appearances is seen when Lengel says that the girls should be decently dressed (Updike 230). Power is demonstrated when Lengel humiliates the three girls and fires Sammy (Wells par. 7). The other main theme is society and class. Queenie is a beautiful yet inaccessible and of different economic level from Sammy’s (Wells par. 4). The theme attempts to educate and bridge the gap between societal classes (Steiner 105).
In summary, several stylistic devices are employed by the authors in relaying the two stories. Whereas Faulkner uses flashback, Updike follows a chronology. These s...