Historic and cultural context of “A Rose for Emily”
The story “A Rose for Emily” is all about the death of a lady, Emily that was left living alone in a lonely home. Faulkner asserts that although the neighbors and the people around her home thought that she was living a better life, she was suffering all alone in her home. The woman left on her own to manage her life without any form of assist. Several people knew that she was alone, but none was willing to assist her in cleaning her home. Staton asserts that “the house was not well furnished and the home poorly made. The entire house of Emily was filled with dust because she was old and would not afford to clean the house on her own (123).” For the reason of the dirty environment, he was unable to clean the house and her body too hence was sticking. Instead of her fellow women assisting her, all they would do is to laugh at her. The numerous problems she was facing are what made it almost impossible for her to live a better life. She finally died because of the poor environment and lack of good healthcare.
The story, “A Rose for Emily” mainly focuses on the negligence of the duties that are supposed to be carried out by the women. The author of the story was focused in the identification of the moral implications created by the historical appetencies. When the southern part of the nations was emerging from the impacts of the Civil wars, several reconstructions were taking place. The entire society was under reconstruction to ensure that the people regained their previsions status. The members of the society were also willing to forget the instances and stigma obtained from the slavery. Residents of the south were torn apart confused between the two existing world orders, the new and the old world order. Both the religion and the politics failed to provide the citizens with the appropriate necessities. For this reason, the old members of the community were neglected hence receiving no assistance from other members of the community (Morgan 109).
The entire society was focused on establishing and regaining back its economical and political stand. Hence, no leaders would offer distinct directions to other members of the society. Everyone in the society was struggling to ensure that their identities were cherished and appear to be the best to the entire society. For this reason, through the character Emily, the author of the story, “A Rose for Emily” was capable of illustrating the actual conditions that were affecting the entire society.
The story “A Rose for Emily” would have been made even more enticing by ensuring that the family of the old woman, Emily is also aware of the condition of the mother. Most of the women in the society that face problems concerning the cleanliness and dirty related problems lack family members. The story would also be written in the current world to ensure that the members of the society are inspired into taking care of their parents. Most of the parents in the current world face problems that are related to the family issues. In the current world, most of the children after gaining the educational knowledge provided by their parents, they usually abandon their homes. The children prefer to live away from home and conduct other businesses forgetting that their parents also need the same attention (Austen & Alistair 118). Some children focus on their own life forgetting the presence of their parents. This makes it almost difficult for their parents to live on their own since they have grown older. In most developing nations, most of the old age abandoned is found dead with no specific place to live.
The story, “A Rose for Emily” would have been made a success if the author would consider the current world and happenings. In the current world, the number of the old age people that die from loneliness has been drastically reduced. In the story, “A Rose for Emily” we are informed that Emily undergoes several problems that affects her health hence contributing to her death. In the first part of the story, the reader is informed that she was all alone in a home that was usually closed without any other person around. The women is enclosed in a house alone and unable to perform some specific roles in the entire house (Shaffer 137). For this reason, she faces problems that affects the way she lives thus contributing to her death.
The author of the story, “A Rose for Emily” would be informed the fact that numerous people in the modern would have learned to take care of their parents. Through reading the story, the reader learns that the old age in the entire society need help and ought not to be abandoned in the houses alone (Faulkner 6). The numbers of the parents that are facing problems in the current world have been reduced by the fact that most of the nations have established homes for the old. The elderly in the society that are unable to take care of themselves are taken to the home cares. In the home care, the old people treated with respect and shown how to live a better life. The old age home, also perform the difficult tasks for the old age people to ensure that they are not harmed in any given way. The old age people are assisted in any given form hence ensuring that they live a happy old age.
Works cited
Staton, Shirley F. Literary Theories in Praxis. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1987. Print.
Morgan, Jack. The Biology of Horror: Gothic Literature and Film. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2002. Print.
Austen, Jane, and Alistair M. Duckworth. Emma: Complete, Authoritative Text with Biographical, Historical, and Cultural Contexts, Critical History, and Essays from Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Boston [u.a.: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. Print.
Shaffer, Brian W. Reading the Novel in English, 1950-2000. Malden, Mass. [u.a.: Blackwell, 2006. Print.
Faulkner, William. A Rose For Emily. 1930
