Old Poor Emily and the Old Rotten House
Old poor Emily lives in the old rotten house. From “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, it is inferred that the Grierson’s house represents Miss Emily Grierson. The author clearly describes what the house looks like and how it has changed; he also tells about Emily’s character. Both have something in common such as their isolation, preciousness and representation of the Old South generation, so these are the reasons why the house is compared to Miss Emily.
First, both are left in isolation. Among the many houses on the street, only Emily’s house is deserted. Her house is closed permanently; there is no one to clean up the house. The sunlight never shines through the windows, so that “It smelled of dust and disuse–a close, dank smell” (1376). Like Emily, after her father’s death, she is left alone and penniless, “the house was all that was left to her” (1378). She closes herself up in her house and rarely goes out to meet people, and she hardly lets anyone come into her house. No one makes her happy, not even Homer Barron, her lover, whom she killed with arsenic. The house and Miss Emily both are secluded.
Second, both once were precious. Long time ago, the house was very beautiful and outstanding as it “had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies” (1375). The house is big and highly decorated that showed her parent’s power and pride. Nowadays, it looks ugly and offensive as “an eyesore among eyesores” (1376). As Emily, she is from the rich family; she is a beautiful woman in her prime. She grows older and older, her hair turning grey. When she dies, people consider her “a fallen monument” (1375). They have both lost their formal splendor.
Lastly, both represent the Old South generation. The house is decorated in the style of the seventies. It has not been repaired or cleaned. It stands still even if the time has changed. Like Miss…