Symbols of Dust and Emilys house and their functions in "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner Essay

The dust is a symbol of masking the past. The dust which remained untouched by anyone held the many regrets and memories of Emily. The dust after all had been adding up over the years concealing everything what lay beneath, after all Emilys house is described as filled with dust and shadows. This description provides us with a visual representation of the everlasting control Emilys father had over his daughter. The dust gathering in every nook and cranny of the house creates many disturbances much like life. When Emilys father dies it cause her to self destruct. Her fathers actions before he died left her all alone, and totally broke. All she was left with was an old house. Furthermore, the dusts characterization of being patient and biding suggests it is obscuring the past. Such as it does with Homer Barron. He is covered in an even coating of the patient and biding dust when found by the townspeople. They had previously thought he was together with Emily, however because of her inability to let go she killed him in an attempt to stay with him forever. Homer Barrons murder is concealed by secrecy and false assumptions. Like the dust, the past is always there waiting to be remembered and uncovered.
Emilys home is symbolic of alienation leading to mental illness and distress. Her house is basically a replica of the past. Her house never changes even though time moves on, and so it becomes grimy, smelly, and dust fills it as seen in the description It smelled of dust and disusea close, dank smellWhen the Negro opened the blinds of one window, they could see that the leather was cracked and when they sat down, a faint dust rose sluggishly about their thighs, spinning with slow motes in the single sunray.(pg 2) Faulkner's description of the decomposing house, match with Miss Emily's physical and emotional lose. Both, Emily and the house, are lacking vigor and are empty on the inside. Furthermore the fact that Emilys house is more scary than beautiful, what its supposed to be, leads the reader to suspect that the house is more like a prison than a home. As stated before the house is grimy, smelly, and filled with dust, not to mention that the outside is lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay meaning her house is old and unpleasant, extremely ugly compared to the new and modern things around it. Opposite of what its supposed to be. Emilys house should be one that she wants to be in and where she can be free. Emily just wanted to love someone in this house and she thought she could have this with her lover Homer Barron. However everything goes awry, turning her home into her own personal prison. This home, with the corpse of Homer Barron was not one meant to be shared.
By using the symbols of the dust and Emilys home, William Faulkner tries to push people to embrace change, because without change