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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Section 1
Explanation and Analysis—Miss Emily as "Fallen":
Throughout the story, the townspeople characterize Miss Emily as “fallen.” This recurring idea forms a motif, although the idea of being "fallen" has different connotations as the story develops. The first instance is at her funeral:
When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old man-servant—a combined gardener and cook—had seen in at least ten years.
Raised by a father who upheld traditional Southern social conventions and customs pre-Civil War, and herself refusing to embrace change and adapt to what the postwar generation brings, Miss Emily stands as a figure of the past. More specifically, Miss Emily is looked upon as a symbol of, or monument to, the Southern pride of the past. Because no one is left to continue Miss Emily’s legacy, with her death comes the death of all that she stands for. Thus, describing Miss Emily as a “fallen” monument paints an image of the dying traditional Southern way of life.
Another way in which Miss Emily is looked upon as fallen is after she is believed to have had sexual relations with the Northerner, Homer Barron. The narrator states, “She carried her head high—even when we believed that she was fallen.” This dated definition of "fallen" is usually ascribed to women who are thought to have lost their honor after having sexual relations outside of marriage. The townspeople speculate that she must be sleeping with Homer because she is seen buying a toilet set with the engraving "H.B." along with nightclothes, suggesting that Homer spends the night with her, and the townspeople jump to conclusions. Even if they are not sleeping together, the implication that an unmarried man is staying over at an unmarried woman’s house can "ruin" Miss Emily. Because Homer himself states that he is not a “marrying man,” many of the town ladies begin saying that Miss Emily continuing to see and sleep with a man outside of marriage is a disgrace and sets a bad example for young people. As a result, "fallen" can also allude to Miss Emily going against the town’s traditional social conventions regarding chastity.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Dust:
In "A Rose for Emily," Faulkner uses the motif of dust to showcase how the past is often forgotten and obscured. When the Board of Aldermen enter Miss Emily's house, they are greeted by a dusty atmosphere:
It smelled of dust and disuse—a close, dank smell. The Negro led them into the parlor. It was furnished with heavy, leather-covered furniture. When the Negro opened the blinds of one window, they could see that the leather was cracked; and when they sat down, a faint dust rose sluggishly about their thighs, spinning with slow motes in the single sun-ray.
There is a slight hint of irony portrayed because even though Miss Emily keeps mostly to her house, her house still smells of dust and disuse. Being locked away inside her house and for most of her life not contributing to society, it is as if Miss Emily herself has embodied the atmosphere of dust and disuse in her house. When the Board of Aldermen, a new generation of leaders who come to ask for Miss Emily's taxes, sit on the leather furniture and stir the dust, they represent an invasiveness that can come with change.
Miss Emily, moreover, seems to prefer to keep her house dark. Only a single blind that lets in "a single sun-ray" is opened. Darkness and dust have an obscuring, protective function here. It is only when there is an intrusion that the darkness and dust are disturbed.
Related Themes:
Section 4
Explanation and Analysis—Respect vs. Disgrace:
The motif of respect and disgrace highlights the double standards Miss Emily is held to. Because of her family name, which held a lot of respect and weight in the past, Miss Emily is at times put on a pedestal. Miss Emily's taxes are even remitted because of how influential her father was. At the same time, Miss Emily is often pitied and criticized, calling into question how genuinely she is respected. For instance, there is disapproval expressed towards Miss Emily when she starts a relationship with Homer Barron, a Northerner and a laborer:
Then some of the ladies began to say that it was a disgrace to the town and a bad example to the young people. The men did not want to interfere, but at last the ladies forced the Baptist minister—Miss Emily's people were Episcopal—to call upon her.
While the town respects Miss Emily enough to remit her taxes and cover up the smell coming from her house without confronting her, once Miss Emily does something that goes against the tradition that she stands for, the townspeople do not accept it.
It is at Miss Emily's funeral that respect emerges again:
They held the funeral on the second day, with the town coming to look at Miss Emily beneath a mass of bought flowers, with the crayon face of her father musing profoundly above the bier and the ladies sibilant and macabre; and the very old men—some in their brushed Confederate uniforms—on the porch and the lawn, talking of Miss Emily as if she had been a contemporary of theirs, believing that they had danced with her and courted her perhaps....
Now that Miss Emily is dead and has no power or ability to go against the townspeople's beliefs, the townspeople remember Miss Emily with fondness. Even though Miss Emily is hardly ever seen interacting with anyone, aside from a few years when she taught china-painting, she is talked about as if she was an active member of her society. Some of the men even wear their Confederate uniforms, an act of respect and a testament to the South's past. The townspeople's double-faced behavior shows how speculation and gossip often may not accurately represent reality, and showcases how the past and present often clash.
Related Themes:
Section 5
Explanation and Analysis—Respect vs. Disgrace:
The motif of respect and disgrace highlights the double standards Miss Emily is held to. Because of her family name, which held a lot of respect and weight in the past, Miss Emily is at times put on a pedestal. Miss Emily's taxes are even remitted because of how influential her father was. At the same time, Miss Emily is often pitied and criticized, calling into question how genuinely she is respected. For instance, there is disapproval expressed towards Miss Emily when she starts a relationship with Homer Barron, a Northerner and a laborer:
Then some of the ladies began to say that it was a disgrace to the town and a bad example to the young people. The men did not want to interfere, but at last the ladies forced the Baptist minister—Miss Emily's people were Episcopal—to call upon her.
While the town respects Miss Emily enough to remit her taxes and cover up the smell coming from her house without confronting her, once Miss Emily does something that goes against the tradition that she stands for, the townspeople do not accept it.
It is at Miss Emily's funeral that respect emerges again:
They held the funeral on the second day, with the town coming to look at Miss Emily beneath a mass of bought flowers, with the crayon face of her father musing profoundly above the bier and the ladies sibilant and macabre; and the very old men—some in their brushed Confederate uniforms—on the porch and the lawn, talking of Miss Emily as if she had been a contemporary of theirs, believing that they had danced with her and courted her perhaps....
Now that Miss Emily is dead and has no power or ability to go against the townspeople's beliefs, the townspeople remember Miss Emily with fondness. Even though Miss Emily is hardly ever seen interacting with anyone, aside from a few years when she taught china-painting, she is talked about as if she was an active member of her society. Some of the men even wear their Confederate uniforms, an act of respect and a testament to the South's past. The townspeople's double-faced behavior shows how speculation and gossip often may not accurately represent reality, and showcases how the past and present often clash.
Related Themes:
