The Traditional Approach on "A Rose for Emily"

          “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is greatly relevant to the time period of post civil war it was written in. In the civil war there was a great difference between the North and South. During the war the North became the centre of wealth and manufacturing and attracted skilled workers, whereas the South consisted of only farming done by salves. Slavery is what was thought to start the war and although the North was fighting to end slavery, the South fought to maintain it because it benefited them economically. “A rose for Emily,” is a great representation of this time period. The story takes place in a small town in the deep south of the United States, where Emily and her father resemble true southern characters. They live in a town run by a southern mayor- Colonel Sartoris where by his law, a black woman would not even be able to walk the streets without an apron, and coloured people were used as slaves. Even when the years went on and Emily’s father had died and Colonel Sartoris was replaced, Emily still kept her black slave Tobe and remained in a lost era. The town and Emily herself looked upon Emily as the only remainder left of that time. She was now living in the post-civil war but still acted like she was living in the harsher days of the South. The town was changing in a good way: upgrading homes, installing metal house numbers and mail boxes, and no slaves were longer used. Since the North was known to be wealthier and full of skilled workers, it was relevant that the construction company hired by the Southern town was directed by a northerner named Homer Barron. It’s relevant because a Northerner was hired and not someone from the south. This indicates that this story does take place in the post-war because the north is finally having a positive affect on the south. “A Rose for Emily,” displays great relevance to the post- civil war era because of Emily’s behaviors compared to her town. This allows you to see the difference in the North and South before and after the war.

            William Faulkner has created a saga of his own that allows “A Rose for Emily” to be relevant to all his other works. The short story and every single one of his other literature's like The Sound and the Fury and Sanctuary, can all relate to the historical growth and subsequent decadence of the South. The theme of all his stories is the decay of the old south, as represented by the Sartoris and Compson families. Faulkner set many of his short stories and novels in Yoknapatawpha County.   The Sound and the Fury is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. The story is about the fallen Compson family, a once noble Southern family brought down by the U.S. Civil War hero General Compson. The family becomes a victim due to the harsh habits they have as southerners, which Faulkner believed were responsible for the problems in the south: racism and selfishness. The Sanctuary is about the degeneration of Temple Drake, a young girl from a distinguished Southern family. Just these two examples along with A Rose for Emily all show relevance to each other. They all consist of problems of the South or lifestyle of a Southerner and their family back in the prior, during, and post-war. They all show the great distinguish of the South compared to the North and the problems they faced with racism and the neglect of change after the civil war was over. Overall “A Rose for Emily” is greatly relevant to the time period it was written in and Faulkner’s other works.