COFFEEHOUSE #4

Teresa Lopez Ramos

Midterm Essay, English 2001 

Oct 20, 2020

Change v. Tradition 

            Emily Grierson is a mysterious character in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” The author tries to share the struggle of trying to maintain the idea of tradition when social and radical change occurs. Emily Grierson; herself lives as a representation of the tradition that many people of the village have a desire to respect, honor, and keep however she is cut off from the outsider world – a true outsider that many ridicule her for. This essay is framed by the teachings and the causes of how changes can be dangerous because it helps us understand how traditions can be dangerous as well. 

            “A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner writes this story in five sections. The first section recalls the death of the main character of Emily Grierson and how the town attended her funeral in her home which is described that nobody had entered from more than a decade. In this section of the story it had recall that once elegant and wealthy neighborhood – the Grierson house is the last standing, wealthy family. Colonel Sartoris – a previous mayor had suspended the Grierson tax responsibility to this specific town after the death of her father and abandonment of the love of her life. Once a new mayor has taken the position, there are unsuccessful attempts to get Emily to resume those payments. In section II, the narrator describes a setting thirty years earlier, in which Emily is also deferring/resisting a request on behalf of the people of the town – when there is a powerful and disgusting smell that is coming from the elegant manor. Judge Stevens (the mayor at that time) declares that lime should be sprinkled to get rid o the odor during the evening. The father – Mr. Grierson is also an important part as he dies. In section III – the narrator describes that Emily has acquired an illness after the death of her father. Though a new and important character is introduced Homer Barron – a contract worker/boss to pave sidewalks and etc… As Homer becomes a popular figure in town and is seen with Emily on rides on Sunday afternoon, making the townies to gossip, patronize, and pity Emily forgetting  the first thoughts of her pride and question of being involved with a man who is beneath her. In section IV, the narrator describes the action and emotions of the townies when Emily is seen buying arsenic. As this happens, there are also actions of buying a silver toilet set monogrammed for Homer as a potential marriage is setting. We see a repetition of actions from the first section of the story; Emily distancing herself from the town people, her door remains closed to outsider despite the China painting lessons she gave on occasion. Only her servant is seen the only going in and out of that house, even Homer was never to be seen. In section V, the narrator what happened after Emily’s death. He also describes that a particular room was unsealed to the people in over forty years, that they find the monogrammed toilet seat and serval items for a weeding and Homer body and a long stand of Emily’s gray hair on the pillow.  The question is: Does death engage as an important factor of the theme of the dangers of Change vs. Tradition?  

            In the story “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson; small town villagers are gather in the square on June 27 or how it is described to be a beautiful day. Tessie Hutchinson an important character to the story is flustered due to her inability to remember an important day to the community. This day in which draws a name out of a black box to decided who to be stoned which Tessie repeats that “it is not fair”. In order to answer the question above: I will examine the scene in which the community is blindly teaching the children to continue the steps of the tradition of the lottery. Then I will also examine the character of Old Man Warner who is extremely faithful to the tradition of the lottery that many decided to blindly follow this tradition so that they fear to return to their “primitive ways”.