Comparison of “A Rose for Emily” and “A Worn Path”, Essay Example

Introduction

“A Rose for Emily” is a short story written by William Faulkner, while “A worn path” was written by Eudora Welty. The writing style of both stories in their fiction is similar. The authors of these two stories also apply an opposing nature in their fiction to foresee the product and acquire knowledge for the imminent proceedings in the impressions. Both William Faulkner and Eudora Welty take hidden idioms and hidden symbols to make the readers more involved and attached and to enable them to comprehend the setting, characters, and theme of the story. This paper discusses the comparisons of the symbolism applied by the authors within the two stories.

In the short story “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner uses symbolism throughout the story, making it simpler and abundant with meaning. It comprises an enormous range of symbolism that is well dispersed and shown all over the whole story. Symbolism plays a significant role in the central meaning and idea of the whole story.

The title of the short story is symbolic. The rose symbolizes the impression of love and new lovers who regularly offer rose flowers to each other to show their love and affection (Fernandes et al.). According to William Faulkner, Emily is an unhappy woman. During her young age, she resides in a house constructed by her controlling, stubborn father. This wasted Emily’s beautiful, youthful age of being a woman. Later, Emily’s father dies, the powerful tower collapses, and Emily becomes confused, not knowing how she will live, and so she ends up refusing to accept her father’s death. This point is seen when the ladies prepare to visit Emily’s house and pass out their condolences and offer assistance as it is their custom. They met Emily at the doorstep, well dressed, and without any trace of suddenness. Emily said that her father was alive. Later after 3days, she was persuaded to admit the father’s demise, and Emily broke down, and Mr. Grierson was buried. Emily then met with Homer Barron, a young unmarried man, and she fell for him. So, Emily was fated to be rejected.

Additionally, the rose represents blood and death (Fernandes et al.). In the “A Rose for Emily” short story, the rose is red in color and the blood. As much as roses are attractive and beautiful, they are filled with thorns. During Emily’s wedding, everything in the wedding room is rosy. Actually, the rose, a symbol of affection, killed both Homer Barron and Emily. Nevertheless, Emily died due to her deep and abnormal affection, whereas Homer Barron was killed by irresponsible love. According to western culture, Rose represents love, whereas giving out bouquets expresses reverence. The story “A Rose for Emily” out spreads sincere respect for persons of Emily’s town, the last town in the lengthy list of the Southern “aristocrats”. Emily is characterized as a symbol of ancient collapsed Southern aristocrats following the Civil War. Therefore, when she fell in love with Homer Barron, she was believed to have fallen and thus was a shame to the entire town and set a bad example to fellow young persons. The title expresses the respect of individuals in the entire township and their reminiscence of the ancient SouthSouth.

In the title “A Rose for Emily”, Emily represents the Old SouthSouth. She opposes change. At the start of the narration, the entire town attends Emily’s funeral. The majority of the persons at the burial are the young age group, and they couldn’t welcome Emily to their age group. They perceived Emily as a definitive example of an outdated woman belonging to the SouthSouth. So, Emily simplified the ancient generation’s principles and the old father’s sins. However, as the story continues, it is revealed that Emily does not simplify the ancient generation but rather the post-war group. Emily is part and parcel of the conquered group, the post-war group that longed for the ancient world they had before. Therefore, Miss Emily was a sign of remembrance of the guilt of misplacement of both groups’ values. She is a tumbled monument to her family and the edges of the two groups. Death surpasses the monument, not the ethical growth of the township.

Moreover, Emily’s opinions and southern heritage are symbolized over her deeds. Her unrelenting attitude and stubbornness represent the strong features of Southern traditions and customs seen from their attitude toward the slaves. Miss Emily refuses to consider the fact that time is changing, refuses to acknowledge new things and concepts, refuses to adapt to the evolved society. She remains inside her decaying house and hardly goes out. She refuses every new thing, ingeniously. All these represented the Southern heritage.

Emily’s house is a significant symbol in the “A Rose of Emily” short story. In as much as the house was constructed in the year 1870 shows that Mr. Grierson has been thriving following the cold war. It is a personification of the pride of Southern and was constructed in an ornate architectural design that defiantly evokes memories of the Old South plantation households before the civil war. This house represented the people of Jefferson, “the glorified aristocratic past of the south”. Faulkner’s description of the house as an “eyesore among eyesores” is a triple conclusion (Khrais). And the respected locality where the house is situated is being invaded by cotton gins, garages, industrialization structures, and social and cultural progress signs. Also, the house signifies how indefensible the ancient Southern culture is, its ethical wickedness in its establishment on oppression, and its insignificance in the expression of the contemporary world.

Miss Emily’s hair signifies her sexuality all through the story. After the death of Mr. Grierson, Emily shaves her hair, and she appears younger, yet she is 30 years. Her girlish look symbolize her immature sexuality, which appears intended to be fading with time as her father had deprived her of several chances of getting married (Khrais). Later after Homer’s demise and when her chance of wedding is gone, Emily’s hair changes to grey, symbolizing the death of her sexiness. To emphasize this symbolism, the persons within the town discover a strand of her gray hair beside Homer’s corpse in the bed they aspired to be their marriage bed.

In the short story “A Worn Path”, Eudora Welty applies significant characters and minor symbols to inspire the reader as they gain an understanding of the traits of Phoenix Jackson and the lifestyles she adopts. The symbolism ties together the concepts of life and shows that life is full of diverse experiences that shape a person’s life irrespective of how minor or major the experience is. Also, several symbolisms used in the story make the story pregnant with meaning and ideas.

The name of the main character, Phoenix, is symbolic. A Phoenix is an allegorical being with a lifespan of five centuries before it burns to ashes. Afterward, the creature rejuvenates to life from the ashes as a hatchling, and the circle continues endlessly. The main character of the “A Worn Path” story possesses a common name with the creature reflecting her untiring nature, her relentless determination towards attaining her aims and goals, together with her persistent optimism and vigor. Also, the name Phoenix indicates longevity; although the narration occurred in 1941, Phoenix was really old to attend school in 1865. Just like the creature phoenix, she proceeds with the long journey unfailingly. Lastly, the name Phoenix symbolizes Christ since he was also resurrected. It portrays a Christ symbol in the entire story.

“A worn path” itself is a significant symbol in the story. The story is assumed to be somewhat a road trip. Phoenix Nelson journeys over several different surfaces, from sidewalks to wagon streams, to sand. She bumps into several obstacles and hurdles along the way, from the prickles to crossing a stream, to the scarecrow, the hunter, and the independent dog (Budiman). Phoenix says, “Seems like there are chains about my feet, the time I get this far…Something always takes hold of me on this hill—pleads I should stay.” She foresees some of the stumbling blocks while she does not expect the majority of them. These ever-changing features of the pathway Phoenix walks signify her life, which is full of endless difficulties. However, it furthermore signifies that, through persistence, she slowly overcomes the difficulties even though the path is tenuous and faint. Additionally, the worn path as a symbol signifies the lives of the entire black people of the Southern, a sum-up of the impression that it is vital, and viciously hard and possible to break down a path having a better life regardless of awful obstacles.

Scarecrow is a significant symbol in the “A worn path” short story. Initially, Phoenix mistakes the scarecrow for a dancing ghost or a black male. Both first reactions reveal an enduring and native history of savagery against black persons, especially the black men (Kreyling). Phoenix has survived through such olden times, and its shifting repetitions as the state she resides in has evolved from slavery to various forms of ill-treatment and subjugation, together with racism and poverty that she is experiencing (Budiman). Therefore, the scarecrow symbolizes all the impending lives of black people lost through the coercing shackles of oppression, assassinations, legal repression, and general scarcity and poverty.

The use of the windmill by Welty signifies economic freedom. Towards the end of the “A worn Path” story, Phoenix decides on purchasing a windmill made of paper for her grandson using the two nickels she is newly equipped with (Singh). She says, “This is what comes to me to do…I going to the store and buy my child a little windmill they sell, made out of paper. He is going to find it hard to believe such a thing in the world.” Even though physical constraints have been bothering Phoenix, the newfound money permits her to consider something to surprise her grandson with. In addition to the beauty of a windmill, it is a substance that joins natural surroundings into energy and replicates the optimism and hopefulness that Phoenix’s grandson may apply his ordinary capabilities, since both of them are free, for the common good. However, since the windmill is made of paper, it is a reminder that hope is delicate and is subject to social and historical forces above Phoenix and the grandson.

Conclusion

The use of symbolism in both “A Rose for Emily” and “A Worn Path” stories produces an impression, which is achieved by attaching an added meaning and depth to the name, an action, or object being described. Also, symbolism helps the reader visualize intricate concepts, allows them to relate the ideas efficiently conveyed by the writer, and follows the dominating theme of the story.

Work Cited

Budiman, Bill Ma’ruf. “Inequality Toward Black Women In “A Worn Path” Short Story: A Black Feminism Perspective.” (2019).

Fernandes, Bruna Fortes Moreno, et al. “A Brief Analysis of Symbolism in “A Rose for Emily”.” Academic Writing: 79.

Khrais, Sura M. “An Eyesore among Eyesores”: The Significance of Physical Setting in Faulkner’s” A Rose for Emily.” International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature 6.6 (2017): 123-126.

Kreyling, Michael. “New Essays on Eudora Welty, Class, and Race ed. by Harriet Pollack.” Eudora Welty Review 12.12 (2020): 197-203.

Singh, Santosh Kumar. “Nature as Inspiring Symbolism in Eudora Welty’s” A Worn Path.” “Ecocritical Focus Issue” ISSN 2278-0742, www. ijells. com.