Abstract

A Rose for Emily, against social change of southern America, describes the tragic fate of Emily Grierson, an aristocratic descent. Emily suffered from the pain which society in that era and her identity brought to her. She was also controlled by her father, which made defects in her character. Emily finally went through her life by living in solitude. This dissertation analyzes Emily’s tragedy from these aspects: the conflicts of the south and north to the sharp social change in that area, from the control of her father to the betrayal of her lover, from the Emily’s distorted personality to the Faulkner’s localism. In fact, Emily is the victim of that society. Emily’s miserable fate actually represents the tragedy of the whole society. As a symbol of tradition, Emily is the victim suffering from the conflicts between the new value and traditional value.

Keywords: Emily, south, isolation, tragedy

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1.Introduction1

1.1William Faulkner.1

1.2A Rose for Emily.1

2.The analysis of tragedy from social background.2

2.1The Southern culture.3

2.2The intervention of townspeople.4

3. The analysis of tragedy from family influence5

3.1The control from her father.5

3.2The prevention from her female cousins.7

4. The analysis of tragedy from Emily’s characters7

4.1Emily’s silence and arrogance.7

4.2Emily’s isolation and eccentricity.8

4.3Emily’s ambivalence.10

5. Conclusion.11

References.14