A Comparative Study of Mrs. Grimes and Miss Emily.docVIP

A Comparative Study of Mrs. Grimes and Miss Emily 　　I. Background Introduction 　　In the works of Sherwood Anderson’s Death in the woods and William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily， both authors delineate protagonists who have lived miserable lives. 　　Death in the Woods is about Mrs. Grimes who toils hard when she is alive as she has to take care of her husband， her son and her animals. Even from the time when she is a little girl， she leads a tough life. She is a bound girl that belongs to a German family whose host seduces her and hostess abuses her. 　　A Rose for Emily is a famous and popular short story of Faulkner who won noble prize in 1950. Emily is a lady who is protected by her father who “drove away all the young suitors” when he is alive. Therefore， when her father dies， she is left alone and cannot accept the fact. She manages to make a living by giving China painting lessons to small children in town and rejects the taxes ordered by the government. 　　II. Loveless and Isolated Lives 　　Usually we expect love and beauty from a rose， but the rose for Emily does not convey such a message. It carries the meaning of misery and mourning. In appearance， the northern foreman， Homer Barron seems to be her lover； they go out together in a carriage. However， in reality， he isn’t her lover； he will never marry her. She is only her temporary prey when working in the south. He doesn’t present her a rose for love. 　　Emily’s life is isolated and lonely. Needless to mention a lover， she even doesn’t have a friend to communicate in reality. The only living creature accompanying her is the black servant whose voice becomes husky and coarse， which indicates a lack of utterance. In appearance， she lives among the community； while in reality she has no connections with the community. 　　It is only years later that she goes out dating the northern foreman. Even at that time， she seldom communicates with the town people. The whole townspeople don’t understand her in the lea