Usage Of Elements Of Fiction In A Rose For Emily Essay, Research Paper

When a person reads a story, he or she is aware of many types of elements of fiction. An author uses elements of fiction to make his or her story move and read in a way that will make the story enjoyable and a thrill to read. By using these elements in the right way, the author creates an abundance of suspense within the reader, making the reader wonder what is to come. Faulkner uses a number of elements of fiction in “A Rose for Emily.” Plot, foreshadowing, and flashbacks are just a few of the elements used to create a story full of suspense and wonder.

The plot of “a Rose for Emily” is of the mysterious life of Emily Greirson and her personal conflict with her southern heritage. There are two ways to go about writing the plot of a story. A chronological plot is told as the events happen one right after the other. “A Rose for Emily” is not told in this manner. Faulkner starts out with Emily’s death and then flashes back to many different events that happen during Emily’s life. This creates gaps in the story about Emily’s life that must be filled in with flashbacks.

“A Rose for Emily” is in essence five different flashbacks combined together to form one story. Faulkner flashes back to the time when a deputation tried to collect on her taxes. This flashback is used to describe the lifestyle Emily has been living for the past years and also the appearance that Emily has taken on as a result of staying in the house. Emily’s hereditary obligations that she had to the town are shown in the flashback of her buying arsenic from the druggist. The druggist tells Emily that by law she must say what the poison is for. Emily only gives him a stern look and is given the poison. Emily s influence of the townspeople and the respect they have for her is shown in this scene.

Faulkner’s usage of flashbacks is also foreshadowing. In the flashback of Emily buying the arsenic, we can predict that someone or something is about to be killed. Later on in the story, we find out that Homer Barron, who was thought to have left, was actually poisoned by Emily so that he could never leave her. When Emily keeps her father in the house three days after his death, we are forewarned of her holding on to death and of her keeping with her the corpse of the one she loves. The smell that is described in the story is also a foreshadowing of the death of Homer.

With so many different types of elements of fiction, there is an endless list of possible ways to write a story. Faulkner’s use of plot that is not in chronological order causes the reader to not be able to skip and scenes involved with Emily’s life. His use of foreshadowing and flashbacks fill us in on Emily’s life and suggest what is to happen later on in the story. With the use of elements, Faulkner makes “A Rose for Emily” and enjoyable story to read and a story filled with suspense.