Narrator point of view in “A rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
Narrator point of view in a writing often belongs to one of two types: first- person point of view and third - person point of view. In his short story titled “A rose for Emily” William Faulkner has proved his talents and skills by “combining” both types into a very special narrator point of view.
The point of view of the “A rose for Emily” narrator is first – person narrator, it seems to be told by a resident living in the Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, who attended Miss Emily’s funeral and with his surprise at her life and her secret, wrote a story recalling memories about this woman life. Although the narrator appears to be a single person, throughout the story we come across the word “us”, which indicates that this individual is speaking on behalf of the whole town residents. The viewpoint, therefore, even from a personal perspective, becomes more objective. Moreover, the author focuses on describing many obscure details involved in Miss Emily’s life along with the rumor among the town residents about them without any personal comments from narrator. He plays a role as a quiet observer and a reporter. That special using of first - person narrator enables the readers to look at Miss Emily character in theirs own way, under no influence from the narrator. Thus, some people may think that Miss Emily was a crazy and heinous woman while others pay sympathy towards her tragedy caused by the her father’s virulent, permanent oppression. Some readers may even admire her profound and eternal love for Homer. Creating the controversial opinions of readers and critics about the protagonist’s manner are actually the biggest success of the story.
Assuming that the author used first– person narrator as Miss Emily herself telling her own life until death to give the reader an insight to her mind and internal conflict, the story would lose the ineluctable attraction which keeps it stand stably...