Perhaps the best approach to this quotation is the perspective
of Emily as symbolic of the Old South in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily." Earlier in the
short story, the narrators mention that Miss Emily has been
a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary
obligation upon the town, dating from that day in 1894 when Colonel Sartoris...remitted her
taxes....dating from the death of her father on into
perpetuity.
And, as these narrators
continue to describe what they think and feel in relation to Emily, the reader comes to
understand the social conventions and tradition that have composed and directed Emily Grierson's
life. For, Emily is "a monument"; and, like a monument, Emily is held captive by a romantic Old
South that places its burdens upon those of old, genteel names. Thus, she is "dear, inescapable,
impervious, tranquil, and perverse."
No comments:
Post a Comment