Choose (and include in your post) a passage or a few related passages that highlight some aspect of the power dynamics at play in the story. Who has power, who doesn’t, how do they interact, how to they negotiate their positions of powerfulness or lack of power? Other factors to consider: how does narration style, point of view, setting, characterization or other elements of fiction play a role in the power dynamic you’re analyzing? Much of what was raised in our online discussion touched on power, but in very different ways. If there is a different topic that you would like to address, either see how it intersects with this topic of power, or raise it in our discussion either on the site or in Wednesday’s class
The main character Emily has power, yet she can not help the things that happen in her life. This happens again and again in the story. In the beginning, Emily has the power to stop people from making her do something about her house smelling. This can be displayed with the Judge Stevens repeated failed to confront Emily about the house. Instead of talking to her like the neighbors suggested, he sent people to lime the house on her behalf. Later in the story, Emily has the power to refuse to pay tax (partly because of her father’s influence). She ‘vanquished them’ like she did for the smell.
Another example could be seen in this passage:
The druggist looked down at her. She looked back at him, erect, her face like a strained flag. “Why, of course,” the druggist said. “If that’s what you want. But the law requires you to tell what you are going to use it for.” Miss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic and wrapped it up. The Negro delivery boy brought her the package; the druggist didn’t come back. When she opened the package at home there was written on the box, under the skull and bones: “For rats.”
Even though the druggist knew for a fact nothing required something as strong as arsenic, Emily had the power to make the druggist give it to her anyways.
The only thing she was powerless for was when her father died, and her lover left her. In order to prevent this powerless feeling, she preserved Homer Barron’s love by keeping him by her side forever.
Even more so, people are always whispering about Emily, gossiping about Emily, and talking about Emily. The narration of the story focuses on Emily in a way that tells us that everyone in town also focuses on Emily. This gives the readers a feeling that she was a powerful person, and that she was important. The main power dynamic was between Emily and life.
Ultimately, this was an amazing read! Love the twist and the though provoking writing!
