Cultural-Critical Approach to “A Rose For Emily”

“Old habits die hard”. William Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily” is an excellent representation of this age-old saying. The story was written around 1930 by Faulkner who was born and raised in Mississippi, and takes place in a southern community which was reluctant to adapt to the rules and regulations set forth by the Northerners after the Civil War. The story plays with ideas of Southern pride, dignity of the family, and most of all human nature. Miss. Emily Grierson is the focus of the story, and through her bleeds opinions and insights that Faulkner undoubtedly drew from his own community and family.
Miss. Emily came from a family of prestige but was seen by the community as a family who “held themselves a little too high for what they really were” (Faulkner 4). After Miss. Emily’s father’s death she was reduced to a pauper which pleased the community. Perhaps Faulkner’s family experienced a similar alteration in social status when his grandfather sold ...