1. “A Rose for Emily” By William Faulkner
Written and developed by Mrs. Carol Hanes,
Howard College, Big Springs, TX

2. PLOT Exposition: Initial equilibrium complication (Homer) Setting
Climax
PLOT
Conflict
Resolution
Exposition
Exposition:
Initial equilibrium
complication (Homer)
Setting
-Small town
-South
-late 1800s, early 1900s
-Miss Emily’s house

3. 3. Characterization -Miss Emily Grierson -Miss Emily’s father
(What are the characters like? Protagonist/Antagonist? Flat/Round? Static/Dynamic? Stock?)
-Miss Emily Grierson
-Miss Emily’s father
-Homer Barron
-townspeople
-the Negro
-the cousins

4. Conflict ( Man vs. Man; Man vs. Himself;
Man vs. Nature; Man vs. Society;
Man vs. Supernatural )
-Miss Emily vs. her father
-Miss Emily vs. herself
-Miss Emily vs. Homer
-Miss Emily vs. townspeople/cousins

5. (The point of the story where the main conflict is resolved.)
Climax
(The point of the story where the main conflict is resolved.)
-Miss Emily dies.

6. Resolution The room is opened. Homer’s body is discovered.
(What does the reader learn after the climax?)
The room is opened.
Homer’s body is discovered.
The townspeople put all the clues together.
What is the “rose” for Emily?

7. POINT OF VIEW
1) 1st person Character (major/minor? participant? reliable?)
2) 3rd person Narrator (omniscient/limited/objective)
“When Miss Emily died, our whole town went to her funeral ” -First person minor character, participant, unreliable

8. TONE Conversational, gossipy. Mysterious Bizarre, strange Grotesque
Southern Gothic

9. (The way the author tells the story.)
STYLE
(The way the author tells the story.)
Long, complicated sentences. (See ¶ 1)
-interruptions
-big, bookish words (coquettish, ¶ 2)
Lots of description. (See ¶ 6)
Flashbacks. (See ¶ 3)
Not much dialog.

10. THEME People may resort to desperate measures to prevent being alone
(What general idea or insight does the entire story reveal? Must be stated in general words & must apply to society in general and not just this story. May not state what the story is about.)
People may resort to desperate
measures to prevent being alone
in life.
Things, people, and events are not
always what they appear to be.
Others?

11. SYMBOL The rose color? The title? The toiletry items?
(An object that suggests more than its literal meaning. An object that points or hints at deeper meaning. Always look at titles, inanimate objects, names, colors, and locales.)
The rose color?
The title?
The toiletry items?
The pocket watch?
The dust?

12. CRITIQUES The plot’s order and time frame Southern Gothic genre
Her father’s influence – his repression leads her to date a man he would not approve of and then take control in the only manner possible
Necrophilia – she loved and slept with the dead. In what ways?
Passage of time – Emily’s denial of it