Robert ThomasMr. PagelENGL 1010June 18, 2011Faulkners !nusual Narrat"#e $n h"s short stor% &A Rose for Emily', ("ll"am Faulkner ut"l")es a *reat"#e th"r+ ,erson narrat"#e -h"*h ,ro,agates t-o se,arate an+ #er% +"..erent ,rotagon"sts/ both o. -hom are "n *on.l"*t -"th a *ommon theme+ antagon"st.0n the ."rst rea+"ng o. the stor%, "t "s a,,arent the t"tle *hara*ter, M"ss Em"l% Gr"erson "s the ma"n ,rotagon"st. The ,lot relates the ma"n e#ents o. her l".e as tol+ b% an anon%mous narrator -ho seems to be a res"+ent o. M"ss Em"l%1s unname+ to-n. 2eg"nn"ng -"th her +eath, an+ then re*ount"ng ,ast e#ents, the narrator ent"*es us to .eel s%m,ath% .or M"ss Em"l% +es,"te the ,ortra%al o. her as e**entr"*, ru+e an+ ant"3so*"al. Faulkner a**om,l"shes th"s b% "+ent".%"ng se#eral ,oss"ble antagon"st .or M"ss Em"l% as the narrator +es*r"bes the *on.l"*ts she ha+ -"th her +om"nant Father, her *ontroll"ng 4unt, an+ e#en the to-n ,o,ula*e.5o-e#er, a.ter subse6uent rea+"ngs an+ a *loser e7am"nat"on o. the narrat"#e, a se*on+ ,rotagon"st emerges8 the to-ns,eo,le. Th"s *on*lus"on *an be rea*he+ base+ on the "+ent"t% o. the narrator, -ho at one ,o"nt re.ers to themsel#es as &-e' "n ,lural. 4t another ,o"nt "n the stor% -hen M"ss Em"l% ,ur*hases 4rsen"* ,o"son .rom the +rug store, the narrator *omments &(hen she o,ene+ the ,a*kage at home there -as -r"tten ..'-h"*h "n+"*ates a more omn"s*"ent ,o"nt o. #"e-. $ bel"e#e that Faulkner "nten+e+ the &To-n'/ as a se,arate ent"t%, to be *ons"+ere+ as the narrator. Throughout the stor%, the narrator o.ten ,romotes a theme o. .org"#eness, un+erstan+"ng, an+ e#en ,"t% .or M"ss Em"l%, -h"*h also e#okes a sense o. k"nsh", -"th the to-ns,eo,le .rom the rea+er. The &To-n' ent-"nes the l".e o. M"ss Em"l% "nto that o. "ts ,eo,le, as ". the tell"ng o. Em"l%1s stor% "s a s%mbol"* statement an+ e7,lanat"on o. the tr"als an+ troubles the% ha#e en+ure+.The ne7t 6uest"on "s -hat then "s the true antagon"st .or both o. the stor%s ,rotagon"st, an+ -hat *ommon *on.l"*t +o the% share. The narrat"#e ,ers,e*t"#e on*e aga"n g"#es us a *lue. 4.ter relat"ng the sa+ h"stor% o. M"ss Em"l%s ,ast su"tors, the narrator states &9o -hen she got to be th"rt% an+ -as st"ll s"ngle, we -ere not ,lease+ e7a*tl%, but vindicate+...' -h"*h re.ers to the to-ns #"e- o. the Gr"erson .am"l% an+ the"r re,utat"on. The to-n1s ,eo,le -ere not aga"nst M"ss Em"l%, "n .a*t the% .elt sorr% .or her. $t -as her .am"l% name an+ the h"stor% o. arrogan*e, o,ulen*e, an+ ent"tlement -h"*h the% resente+an+ -ante+ to see brought +o-n an+ humble+/ un.ortunatel% Em"l% -as the onl% one le.t .rom -h"*h the% *oul+ e7tra*t th"s +em"se o. the Gr"erson name. 0. *ourse the same *on.l"*t e7"ste+ .or Em"l%, -ho struggle+ -"th her .am"l%s h"gh o,"n"on o. themsel#es her -hole l".e. $t +om"nate+ her an+ *ontrolle+ most o. her l".e +e."ne+ b% her Father, her 4unt an+ e#en her *ous"ns. :eterm"n"ng her "ntera*t"ons -"th the to-n an+ restr"*t"ng her so*"al l".e/ "t -as both her b"rthr"ght an+ her bur+en. $n the en+, "t -as these unreal"st"* e7,e*tat"ons .rom her .am"l% -h"*h ,rom,te+ M"ss Em"l% to mur+er her true lo#e be*ause he -as not seen as u, to her .am"l% stan+ar+s. Robert Thomas 0;