A-Rose-for-Emily

08级英语4班吕吉凤20080510955TheCausesofEmily’sTragedyLvJifengClass4,Grade2008,SchoolofForeignLanguagesandLiterature,ChongqingNormalUniversityAbstract:“ARoseforEmily”isashortstorybyAmericanauthorWilliamFaulknerfirstpublishedintheApril30,1930issueofForum.TheauthorfirststartsfromtheconflictsinMissEmily’slife,analyzingthereasonsoftheconflicts.Furthermore,fromliteraldevicesinthispassage,WilliamFaulknerexplainstothereadershowtheconflictsaredisplayed.Basedontheabove,theauthorpointsoutthatEmily’scharactertragedyliesintheobstinatetraditionalsenseofhierarchyintheOldSouthofAmerica.Theconflicts,betweenthenewsystemintheNewSouthduringitsfoundationandtheoldsystemintheOldSouth,aswellashergreatlytwistedcharacter,leadtohertragicfate.Keywords:domination,isolation,love,refuse,tragedy1.AbriefintroductionofARoseforEmily“ARoseforEmily”isathird-personnarrative.Theidentityofthecharactersspecifictotheuseofthewordsourandweisnotgiven,thoughitispossiblethattheserefertothetownspeople,whoarenarratingwithaunifiedvoice,representingSouthernwhitesociety.Emily,theheroineinthestorywasborninanoblefamily.HerfatherwasfastidiousabouthermarriageanddroveawayeverymanwhopaidcourttoherwhichmadeEmilybeafishoutofwater.Afterherfather’sdeath,EmilygottoknowBarren,aforemanwhocametothetowntopavethesidewalk.EmilyfellinlovewithBarren.AfterEmilyandHomerwereseendrivingthroughtownseveraltimes,Emilyvisitedadruggist.There,sheaskedtopurchasearsenic.CitizensassumedMissEmilymeanttocommitsuicidesinceHomerhadnotyetproposed.HomerwaslastseenenteringEmily'shomeandthenneverseenagain.AfterHomer’sdisappearance,Emilybecamemoreeccentricandinaccessible.FortyyearslaterwhenEmilydied,peoplehadachancetoenterhermysterioushouse.Inonebedroomdownstairs,peoplefoundthedryandrottenbodyofBarrenonthebed.Onthepillownexttothatofthedeadman,peoplefoundalongstrandofiron-grayhair.2.ThecausesofEmily’stragedy2.1ThedominationofEmily’sfatherItisafive-partstoryThefirstsectionopenswithadescriptionoftheGriersonhouseinJefferson.Thenarratormentionsthatovertheyears,EmilyGrierson'shome08级英语4班吕吉凤20080510955hasfallenintodisrepairandbecomeaneyesoreamongeyesores.ThefirstsentenceofthestorysetsthetoneofhowthecitizensofJeffersonfeltaboutEmily:WhenMissEmilyGriersondied,ourwholetownwenttothefuneral:thementhroughasortofrespectfulaffectionforafallenmonument,thewomenmostlyoutofcuriositytoseetheinsideofherhouse,whichnoonesaveanoldmanservant–acombinedgardenerandcook–hadseeninatleasttenyears.Thenthenarratortellsherstrangestorythroughaseriesofflashbacks.Emilyisborntoaproud,aristocraticfamilysometimeduringtheCivilWar;herlifeinmanywaysreflectsthedisintegrationoftheOldSouthduringtheReconstructionandtheearlytwentiethcentury.Emily’sfatherplaysanimportantpartinshapinghercharacter.Dominatedbyherfatherandhisrigidideasofsocialstatus,shehasbeenpreventedfrommarryingduringherlifetime.HechasesawayEmily’spotentialsuitorsbecausenoneofthemare“goodenough”forhisdaughterwhichkeepsEmilystayingawayfromthepublicandbecomingeccentric.SothatEmilyisalwaysstayingindoors,lackingoffriendsinlife,formingtheunusualtalkandattitude.HisdeathleavesEmilyatragic,pennilessspinster.Becauseherfatheristheonlyonewhounderstandsherandawaysaccompaniesher.Shemayevenbemad—shecouldn’tacceptthetruththatherfatherhasdiedsoshedeniesthatherfatherisdeadatfirstandshewon’tallowanyonetoremovehiscorpseuntilshebreaksdownafterthreedays.Oneyearafterherfather’sdeath,shefallsinlovewithBarren.Whenshefindsthatherloverisnotgoingtogetmarriedwithher,shepoisonshimsothatshecankeephimwithherforever.WecananalyzethisfromPathologyandpsychology.FromEmily’sbehaviortoherfatherMr.Drieson,sheiscompleteElctraComlex.Inhermind,herfatherisherlover,losingherfathermeanslosingherloverandshewillbealonefromthattimeon.WhensheknowsBarrenmaynotmarryher,shewouldratherkillhimandkeephisremainsinordertokeephimwithher.WecanalsoanalyzethisfromPhysiology.FromFreudSigmund’snarration,therearethreeconceptionswhichareconnectedtotheanalysisneededtounderstand,thatis,Id,Ego,andSuper-ego.MissEmilyjusttriesherbesttochaseherhappinessasothernormalwomendo.Fromthisangle,MissEmilyhastherighttofallinlovewithHomerandtohavetheirownfamily.Whatshehasdoneiswithinthecommonpractice.However,alotofelementsresultinthetragicsequel.Itisshethatcannotgraspthephysiologicalelementandcausesherunhappyorevenmiserabledestiny.2.2Emily’sowncharacterEmily’sisolatedandeccentriccharacteralsocausedthetragedy.Shedoesn’tacceptchangesandawayslivesinherownworldandnevercommunicateswithothers.Sherefusestopaythetax.ShejusttellsthegovernmentthatshehasnotaxesinJefferson.Whatshesaidwasthematterseveralyearsago.AndtherewasonceamancalledColonelSartorisexplainedittoherabouthertax-freeprivilege.Shedoes08级英语4班吕吉凤20080510955notrespectthetruth,thatis,herso-calledColoneldiedtenyearsagoandnewpolicycomesintopractice.TheotherthingwhichcanreflectEmily’sisolationisaboutherbehaviorofbuyingArsenic.Thedruggistcannotimagineherpurposeinbuyingthepoisonandjustthinksthatshemightuseitforratandsuchthings.MissEmilyjuststaresathim,herheadtiltsbackinordertolookhimeyeforeye,untilhelooksawayandgoesandgetsth