摘 要

《献给艾米丽的玫瑰花》是威廉·福克纳的著名短篇小说。主人公艾米丽·格里尔生小姐是南方小镇杰弗森没落贵族的代表，故事叙述了她悲哀而又神秘的一生。本文从社会因素、家庭因素和个人因素三方面入手探讨艾米丽悲剧命运的原因，从而使人们对社会变革，家庭关系，自身性格和爱情进行反思。

关键词：《献给艾米丽的玫瑰花》；社会因素；家庭因素；个人因素

Contents

1.Introduction.................................................................................................................1

2.Demonstration.............................................................................................................2

2.1. Social factors causing Emily’s tragedy...................................................................2

2.1.1 The transition from the old to the new..................................................................2

2.1.2 The influence of southern residents......................................................................4

2.2. Family factors causing Emily’s tragedy..................................................................5

2.2.1 The representative of the old aristocracy..............................................................5

2.2.2 The oppression of patriarchy................................................................................6

2.3. Personal factors causing Emily’s tragedy...............................................................7

2.3.1 Contradictory inner world....................................................................................7

2.3.2 Distorted psychology............................................................................................8

3.Conclusion..................................................................................................................8

Works Cited..................................................................................................................10

Bibliography.................................................................................................................11

Cause Analysis of Emily’s Tragic Fate in A Rose for Emily

1. Introduction

William Faulkner (September 25, 1897—July 6, 1962) was an American writer of novels, short stories, poems and occasional screenplays. Faulkner is considered one of the most important writers of the Southern literature of the United States, along with Mark Twain, Robert Penn Warren, Truman Capote, Thomas Wolfe. In his 40 years of writing career, he wrote 19 novels, 125 short stories, 20 screenplays and a play, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949. The majority of his works are based in his native state of Mississippi. His representative works are The Sound and the Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), Light in August (1932), and Absalom, Absalom! (1936). His first short story collection, These 13(1931), includes A Rose for Emily, Red Leaves, That Evening Sun, and Dry September.

A Rose for Emily is one of Faulkner’s most famous short stories. It was published on the BBS (Forum) journal in April, 1930. The short story vividly depicts Emily, a Southern aristocratic lady’s plaintive and mysterious life experiences. The short story sets in the United States after the Civil War. In the southern town of Jefferson, in order to maintain dignity, Emily’s father drives away every man who admires Emily. After her father’s death, she starts to pursue her happiness because she falls in love with Homer Barron. Although Homer Barron is a northerner, Emily still likes to have more time with him and wants to marry him. However, Homer Barron likes men, so he does not want to marry Emily. Finally, Emily secretly kills Homer Barron with arsenic and keeps his body in the house. She would rather sleep with the body for several decades.

In fact, this short story can be comparable with his long novels, because“it is rich with concise language, exquisite conception and characteristic person.”(Miao 22) In addition, A Rose for Emily is a part of Yoknapatawpha saga. Being a modernist mythical world, the core of Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha is the deification of nobles and traditions. He settled himself down in the culture of his native country and established fictitious Yoknapatawpha, with which he demonstrated a vivid and historical picture scroll of American southern society.

Domestic scholars are interested in William Faulkner’s works. From the late 1970s to 2005, the number of the research papers about A Rose for Emily is second only to the study of his long novel of The Sound and the Fury. The study of A Rose for Emily is mainly about the analysis of Emily’s character, feminism, narrative time, symbolism, writing skills and comparison with other works.

This thesis will focus on the factors that lead to Emily’s tragic fate. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part analyzes Emily’s tragic fate from social factors. The transition of era and the residents in the southern town have certain influence on Emily’s tragic fate. The second part focuses on family factors causing Emily’s tragic fate. For one thing, Emily is a member of the old aristocratic family, which has a long history. The culture of her family has a deep, adverse impact on Emily. For another, her father’s influence is the most important cause of Emily’s tragic fate. The third part focuses on personal factors leading to Emily’s tragic fate, including her contradictory inner world and distorted psychology.

2.Demonstration