English IV AP
William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”
Discussion Questions
Analyzing Symbolism:
1. How is Emily’s father a character symbol in the story?
2. In the Bible, Genesis 3:19, it says “…from dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.”
How is this ideology reflected in the symbolism of the story?
3. William Faulkner sometimes used symbolism in the titles of his stories, and sometimes he
did not. What might be the symbolism of the rose in “A Rose for Emily”? If you think
there is no symbolism in it, explain why you think not.
Interpreting the Story:
4. When Emily’s father died, she refused to allow him to be buried. The narrator said of this:
“We believed she had to do that…she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as
people will.” How may you connect this statement with the shock ending?
5. The story comments specifically on society in the post-Civil War South. What do you think
the story has to say about society in general in our time?
6. When the townspeople thought Emily was “fallen,” did they mean socially, morally, or
something else? Do you think they wanted her to “fall”?
7. Why was Emily a “hereditary obligation” on the town when she had done nothing concrete
for the town?
Analyzing the Author’s Technique:
8. How would the story change if Faulkner told the story himself, in his own voice, rather than
through a narrator who is one of the townspeople?
9. From the way the narrator speaks, what can you determine about the person? Is the narrator
just an average citizen of Jefferson? How well educated is this person? Is the narrator a
man or a woman? Explain your opinion with examples from the story.
10. There are many passages in the story that appeal to the senses: hearing, smelling, seeing, and
touching. Select one (1) passage and analyze its impact upon events of the story and your
reading of it.