L-Powell

Changing Portraits in "A Rose for Emily" by Janice A Powell

List of important ideas Important Quotes "Like an impressionist painting that changes as the viewer moves to different positions, however, the structural organization provides clues to the "whole picture" or to the motivations behind her transformations." "In this portrait, Emily assumes the semblance of a girl instead of a sexually mature woman of thirty. Her cut hair is especially important. Since ancient times, a woman's hair has symbolized her sexuality. Emily's hair, along with her sexuality, has been cut short through her father's pride." "Emily now wears black instead of white. Black, with its traditional suggestion of evil."
 * chronological organization of Emily's portraits
 * the portraits imprint the changes occuring throughout her life
 * her appearance reveals information about her sexuality, her emotional states
 * the symbolism is present not only in the portraits, but also in other elements, such as colors, hair style
 * her father's bad influence leads her to the outcome of the story

"The images of death emerge most frequently: her pallid complexion; her drowned, bloated body; her lost eyes; and the cold, dry voice of the tomb." "Her father, the dominant patriarch, robbed her of a husband and that part of a female's existence that can find fulfillment only through marriage." "Throughout the story, the father and the potential groom are parallel: both are dark men, both carry whips, and both desert Emily. All images associated with them are metaphors of pain and sorrow. Marriage and death are inseparable because love and pain are inseparable."

"Through his images, the reader watches Emily transform from a virginal victim to a "manly" murderess to a corpulent corpse. More than a portraitist, however, Faulkner unveils interior complexity through external appearance, using both imagery and structure."