The Female Role in William Faulkners “A Rose for Emily,”...

Reading literature, at first, might seem like simple stories. However, in works like William Faulkners â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† Katherine Mansfields â€Å"Miss Brill,† and Kate Chopins â€Å"The Storm,† the female protagonists are examples of how society has oppressive expectations of them simply because of their gender. Curry believes that Faulkner displays the story of â€Å"A Rose for Emily† through scenes of gender differences. The beginning of the story shows the motivational split between men and women. At Emilys funeral, men attend to show respect, but the women simply want to view the inside of her home. Although Faulkner has left the gender of the narrator a mystery, many postmodern critics have tried to solve the mystery. Without a specific gender narrator, the eye of the story is open to both male and female interpretations. Faulkner still draws a line between male and female, specifically by women initiating concern (smell coming from Emilys ho use) but the concern is only taken seriously once a man expresses concern. Also, Emily is able to purchase arsenic illegally from a male cashier. Faulkners idea of ladies (lady) are allowed to act in certain ways (murder) without consequence because any objection would undermine the entire meaning of being a lady; ladies are never meant to be anything but ladies. Ultimately, that is how Emily got away with murder. While reading â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† my first thoughts were not any of gender roles. After reading Currys essay, I see aShow MoreRelatedThe Female Role in A Rose for Emily, Miss Brill, and The Storm1160 Words   |  5 PagesReading literature, at first, might seem like simple stories. However, in works like William Faulkners â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† Katherine Mansfields â€Å"Miss Brill,† and Kate Chopins â€Å"The Storm,† the female protagonists are examples of how society has oppressive expectations of women simply because of their gender. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† by William Faulkner, the story starts out with a distinctive split between the motivations of men and women: â€Å"The men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen