The setting and time of A Rose for Emily coincide with the telling of the story, as it is an important part of the story. A Rose for Emily takes place during a short period and in one specific area. A sense of isolation and discord creeps into this Southern Gothic short story establishing that “time is not just chronological” (Lund 25). A Rose for Emily takes place at some point between 1894 and 1930, but more specifically on the fall day in which the funeral took place (Lund 26) as well as during Miss Emily’s life.
It can be inferred from clues throughout A Rose for Emily, such as her age at death, what year it was set in, etc. , that Rose for Emily must have taken place over a few days. A Rose for Emily begins on the day of Homer Baron’s funeral, which is revealed in the second paragraph (Faulkner 5). The story ends with “A Rose for Emily” handwritten at the top of the story. At the end it says, “… but already I was lonely without her… ” (Lund 27).
A Rose for Emily must have taken place both during and after Miss Emily died because she was not there anymore to practice playing her part or show her fans how well she could act; thus making A Rose for Emily take place between 1894-1930. Time can be said to be significant throughout A Rose for Emily by Faulkner as time is used as a marker to define change. A Rose for Emily is a story about change and the passage of time. A common theme in literature is that time can be used to help readers understand how much an event has changed the character (Herbert 1).
Events in A Rose for Emily are marked by important changes in Miss Emily’s life, which is representative of the passing of time in A Rose for Emily. A Rose for Emily establishes when events took place through specific references to when they happened. For example, Miss Emily dies when she was around 70 years old (Lund 27). A rose was placed on her grave each year after she died until “there came a bad year” (Faulkner 8) and then they stopped doing so.
A sense of discord creeps into A Rose for Emily establishing that “time is not just chronological” (Lund 25) as clues are given throughout A Rose for Emily which mark the passage of time. A key example of this is when A Rose for Emily says, “But now, she was sixty years old” (Faulkner 7). A year later the narrator states that it has been twenty-three years since Homer Barron left town, and then two weeks after that Miss Emily dies at around 70 years old. The setting in A Rose for Emily can be analyzed to help explain tone, mood, and characters’ personalities.
A Rose for Emily takes place partly inside Miss Emily’s house, her room specifically. The day Homer Baron’s funeral coincides with A Rose for Emily taking place is also the day A Rose for Emily takes place. A sense of discord creeps into A Rose for Emily establishing that “time is not just chronological” (Lund 25). The setting in A Rose for Emily sets a tone and foreshadows events to come. Faulkner uses the overall setting and time of A Rose for Emily to help readers build an idea about what kind of person Miss Emily was, specifically her personality and motives.
A common theme in literature is that time can be used to help readers understand how much an event has changed the character (Herbert 1). A strong example of this is when A Rose for Emily says, “For forty years the clocks had stopped at eight-thirty” (Faulkner 5). A Rose for Emily starts on one specific day, the day Homer Baron’s funeral coincides with A Rose for Emily taking place. A sense of discord creeps into A Rose for Emily establishing that “time is not just chronological” (Lund 25) as clues are given throughout A Rose for Emily which mark the passage of time.
A common theme in literature is that time can be used to help readers understand how much an event has changed the character (Herbert 1). A strong example of this is when A Rose for Emily says, “For forty years the clocks had stopped at eight-thirty” (Faulkner 5) because it reveals how long it took Miss Emily to deal with her lover’s death and she must have spent 40 years in depression because of it. A Rose for Emily sets a tone and foreshadows events to come through the use of the overall setting and time, as A Rose for Emily starts on one specific day.
A sense of discord creeps into A Rose for Emily establishing that “time is not just chronological” (Lund 25) as clues are given throughout A Rose for Emily which mark the passage of time. A key example of this is when A Rose for Emily says, “For forty years the clocks had stopped at eight-thirty” (Faulkner 5), also suggesting how long Miss Emily was stuck behind her past rather than moving forward with her life. A strong theme in literature is that time can be used to help readers understand how much an event has changed the character (Herbert 1).
A strong example of this is when A Rose for Emily says, “For forty years the clocks had stopped at eight-thirty” (Faulkner 5) because it reveals how long it took Miss Emily to deal with her lover’s death and she must have spent 40 years in depression because of it. A Rose for Emily sets a tone and foreshadows events to come through the use of the overall setting and time as A Rose for Emily starts on one specific day. A sense of discord creeps into A Rose for Emily establishing that “time is not just chronological” (Lund 25) as clues are given throughout A Rose for Emily which mark the passage of time.
A key example of this is when A Rose for Emily says, “For forty years the clocks had stopped at eight-thirty” (Faulkner 5), also suggesting how long Miss Emily was stuck behind her past rather than moving forward with her life. A Rose for Emily takes place partly inside Miss Emily’s house, her room specifically. The day Homer Baron’s funeral coincides with A Rose for Emily taking place is also the day A Rose for Emily takes place. A sense of discord creeps into A Rose for Emily establishing that “time is not just chronological” (Lund 25). The setting in A Rose for Emily sets a tone and foreshadows events to come.
