Where does the exposition end and climax begin in "A Rose for Emily"?
In "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, we cannot chart the exposition, climax and resolution as we might with another story—one that has been told in chronological order. In fact, one of the ways that Faulkner keeps the reader so off balance and able to surprise us so well at the story's end is by telling the story in several parts that are not chronologically ordered.
For instance, had the narrator told us that Miss Emily was seen riding with Homer Barron, that she then bought a silver-backed man's "toilet set" engraved with his initials, and finally purchased rat poison, we would not have been too surprised by the ending; we most probably would have remembered Homer being admitted one night by Tobe , the manservant, never to be seen again. However, by mixing things up with flashbacks—"misdirection" by the author—we have lost the...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
chronology. There is really no resolution to the plot, as happens with some short stories; what grabs us, however, is not just that Miss Emily murdered Homer, but that the details point to evidence that she has been sleeping next to his dead body…and not many years in the past, but recently, as shown by the hair on the pillow next to the body: the color and length of heraged hair:
…we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair.
And this is not only the climax of the story, but the end of the story as well.
Because "A Rose for Emily" does not follow a normal, linear time frame--instead using several long flashbacks--it is a bit more difficult to distinguish the different stages of the short story. The narrative starts with the death of Miss Emily, before reverting back to an earlier tale of her dealings with her father's taxes. Part II continues the exposition, using a flashback to two years earlier concerning "the smell" coming from the house. Part III is yet another flashback (although it is not immediately recognized) which introduces the arrival of Homer Barron. Part IV continues the story of Homer and his disappearance, and again picking up the story from "the smell." From that point, the narrative continues in a sequential manner, charting the final years of Emily's life. Part V continues from where the story began, concluding with the breaking down of the bedroom door and the final, climactic, double surprise ending.
It is clear that the climax comes at the very end of the story; the resolution is less clear, but it would be the two sections that concern Homer and his departure, followed by "the smell."
What examples of foreshadowing are in "A Rose for Emily"? Where does the exposition end and climax begin? Who or what else conflicts with Emily?
In response to the last question asked on this discussion proposal, Emily is in conflict with the culture of the Old South. As a young woman, Emily has suitors rejected by the patriarch, whose crayon portraiture looms over her even after his death. Lost in this Old South, time has passed Emily by. Thus, her efforts to recapture are perverted as she must accept a Yankee laborer as a suitor, and even he tries to leave her, so in desperation she poisons the man rather than relive her youthful shame.
The "smell" that develops is certainly an example of foreshadowing, though it turns out to be the rotting body of Homer and not just a dead rat. Emily's descent into mental instability is foreshadowed by the knowledge that it ran in her family--that her great aunt had gone "crazy at last."
The story is divided into five sections. Each section gives portions of the story, but not in chronological order. In the first section of the story, you learn that Emily Grierson has died. The rest of the story until the last section fills in the blanks of her life.
Section II=
A smell develops around her house. The men of the town use lime to kill the smell. Her father dies when she is about 30 years old. We learn that Emily does not face death well. You also learn that there has been insanity in her family.
Section III=
Homer Barron comes to town from the north. An announced homosexual, he squires Emily around in a buggy on Sunday. The town gossip about it.
Emily buys arsenic from the pharmacist.
Section IV=
The women gossip about Homer and Emily. They hope that they will get married to save her good name. Her cousins come from Alabama to talk to her and help her. The women send the Baptist minister to talk to her. All of which comes to nothing.
Emily bought a men's toiletry set and nightshirt embroidered with HB.
Homer was seen going into Emily's backdoor, let in by Tobe, her servant.
Homer was never seen again. Emily was not seen either for several years. When she was seen again, she was fat and her hair had turned gray.
Section V
After the funeral all of the women and men show up at the house to snoop around. They all have known about the upstairs bedroom. They break down the door, discovering a skeleton that had been there for over 40 years. On the pillow beside Homer's corpse was a gray hair. Emily captured her man forever.
William Faulkner felt sorry for his character. He named the story giving Miss Emily a much deserved rose because of her sad life.
Homer, Emily's beau, dies in the story and his corpse is found in a bed upstairs in Emily's house. His death is foreshadowed, rather obliquely, by Emily's purchase of rat poison.
A more obvious use of foreshadowing concerns Emily's own death. The story opens with news of Emily's death, then goes back to tell of her life. We know from the beginning that the character we come to know is going to die.