Modern Town Of Jefferson And Miss Emily example essay topic

While the town of Jefferson is undergoing renewal, renovation, and moving into a more modern era, Miss Emily is tenaciously holding on to the past, refusing to go gently into the future. She is trapped in a time warp, unable to move forward, which puts her at odds with the town that is looking towards the future. This conflict can only be resolved in one way; Jefferson will move forward, not backward to an age gone by. Since Miss Emily can not bear to live in any world but that which her father had helped maintain, she eventually succumbs to the pressures of the town's leap into modernism. She does so, by committing murder and necrophilia in order to preserve her way of life. In "A Rose for Emily,' Faulkner uses Miss Emily's childhood as a catalyst for her unwillingness to let go of the past, and cause conflict between her and the modern town.

From the beginning Miss Emily was at odds with the entire town. Emily lived with her father throughout her entire adolescent life, and was never exposed to the real world. Miss Emily's father selfishly kept her to himself, making it impossible for her to meet, let alone become friends with anyone in town. Miss Emily never experienced love with anyone but her father because he chased all of Miss Emily's suitors away from their house when they came calling. When her father died, she was at a loss for what to do. She had no idea how to take care of things, like paying bills, etc., so in order to make the transition smooth for Miss Emily, Colonial Satori's made Emily exempt from taxes.

In this time that was the right, and gentlemanly thing to do, especially since she had just lost her father, and source of income. Many years later, the modern town of Jefferson could find no proper paper work excusing Miss Emily from taxes, and confronted her with this. With her lack of social skills, and lack of understanding how the real world worked, she sent the men away, disgusted with the fact that they would dare question her. Just like that, the issue was dropped, and Miss Emily went on living in her distorted world. When Miss Emily met Homer, a handsome northern gentleman, it was a completely new experience for her.

It was exciting, and at the same time difficult for her. The relationship was both, because Emily had no control over Homer as she would have, had in her time. Homer came and went as he pleased, and it drove her mad. She could not adapt to the idea that this was how things were done in modern times. She decided to attempt getting control of the situation. Miss Emily could not bear to lose another person that she loved, so she killed Homer, and slept in his bed for the follow thirty years until she died.

As the towns' people broke down the door into Miss Emily's room, and found the decayed body of Homer, and the impression of Miss Emily's head on the pillow beside him, you feel a sense of relief. The conflict was now over between the modern town of Jefferson, and Miss Emily, because as they looked into her room, they felt sorry for her. They understood now why she could not move forward with the town. It was because she was never taught how to let go, she only learned from her father that she should be selfish, and hold onto whatever she wanted for herself, and that is what she had done, until the day of her death.