A Rose For Emily

“A Rose for Emily”, by William Faulkner is a story about a woman who refused to accept change. When her father died, she denied his death for three days, arguing that he was still alive. Emily Grierson was said to come from more of a prestige family, but after her father’s death, she was left with nothing. The mayor at the time exempt her from taxes, saying that it was a way to repay her for the money her father lent the town; a way to hide the charitable handout. The story also shows how Emily found love in a northern, day laborer, which had the townspeople talking. She had bought arsenic one day, which was thought was to commit her own suicide, but by the end of the story, the readers find out what horrible deed was done. After her death, city authorities searched through the house, and found in an old, seemed to be abandoned room, the decayed body of Homer Barron, her former lover. Next to his body, was an indented pillow with strands of Emily’s gray hair. Killing the man she loved was a way she could keep him forever, in her struggles with coping with reality.

There were several gothic elements to this story, which were displayed through the descriptive settings and the small town secrets. Gothic settings take forms of architecture as well as nature. Gothic moods are set by descriptions of settings; cold, dim, gloomy, etc. Another element in Gothic literature is small town secrets, where the secrets are horrid and can make some people go mad.

Charles Johnson uses the same elements in countless other stories, one being “The Exchange Value”. In this story, the old women led a mysterious and secretive life, which the two brothers were curious of. As they break in the house they find out that, she inherited a large amount of money, which then she was afraid to loose, and became a hoarder. Also in Twin Peaks, there are many examples of secrets, and how secrets lead to destruction. As we see in, “A Rose for Emily” her once lovely house, has began to decay and tarnish. Her house was dark and dirty, filth piled itself among the walls, and horrible smells emerged, and was described as “an eyesore among eyesores.” Throughout the story, there is a sense that something was being hidden. The narrator mentions strange things such as the purchase of the arsenic, and then again how Homer returned to Emily and both were never seen outside again. Emily’s deranged secret was that the arsenic was used to kill Homer, keeping him locked away to be with her forever.

In each of these three stories, elements of gothic fiction appear strongly. The settings help to set the mood of mystery and suspense and as the stories play out, the secrets are revealed. Small town secrets, in all examples, have been anything but pleasant. These secrets, like stealing the money, which caused the disorder of hording, and Emily’s secret murder, show how terrible secrets bring people to go crazy.