The story titled “A Rose for Emily,” which is written by William Faulkner, has a grim tone. The tone of the story is grim, because of the subject of death and aging towards a natural death, and the emphasis on grim details throughout the entire story. The tone of the story is grim, also because of the focus on only the subject of death and aging, and not just the aging of the main character in the story, but also of the other characters in the story, such as where it speaks about how the “Negro” grew grayer and more stooped, going in and out of the home with the market basket.We can discern that the tone of the story is grim, because its thesis is laid out in the beginning paragraphs, including the first. Its thesis focuses on the death, dying and aging process of Miss Emily Grierson.
Its thesis details grim and negative aspects of her dying and aging process. An example of the grim tone of the story in the beginning paragraphs of the story, is that it speaks of the funeral of Miss Emily Grierson and further focuses on her home being in decay and being an eyesore, and not just any eyesore, but an “eyesore among eyesores.”Another way we can discern the grim tone of the story is how it focuses on the details of the yellowing mold on the pillow of Miss Emily Grierson, and how it focuses on other details like the instances of describing dust throughout the story and also similarly describing of the rusty and harsh voice of the “Negro” from disuse. The tone of the story is seen in every detail of the story, especially such as the description of the voice of the aged “Negro” as rusty and harsh from disuse, it is similar to descriptions of dust and things being dusty.Dust accumulates from disuse.
And this is similar to the description of the exterior of the home, deteriorating from disuse. He also describes the pillow of the deceased Miss Emily Rose as yellow with mold, clearly from disuse. Furthermore, the entire story clearly shows a consistent grim tone. The disordered sequence of the narrative makes it compelling, because it jumps to events rather than bore us with transitions from one event to another.
It makes it interesting and compels us in each part of the sequence of the narrative to draw our attention to the event and its details. Furthermore, the narrative’s disordered sequence makes it compelling by showing both the ordered and disordered nature of life itself, and describing life as disordered within the narrative itself, yet still maintaining a description of order. An example of this is how it points out details of routine and ordered life at the home of Miss Emily Grierson, while at the same time contrasting with the decay of her life and home from many aspects.
