A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

Name: Period:

“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

Part I

Directions: Examine the following ambiguous statements from “A Rose for Emily” and choose the best interpretation provided. Include details or clues from the story to support your choice, and the page number you found that support on.

Ambiguity occurs when some part of a story can be interpreted in at least two different ways. When Miss Emily buys arsenic in “A Rose for Emily” and won’t tell the druggist its purpose, the reader wonders if she intends to kill rats or if she has something else in mind.

Clarifying Ambiguity in a literary work requires that you look for clues or details that can help you make a reasonable interpretation. Sometimes it’s helpful to reexamine description, action, or characterization.

1. “So she vanquished them, horse and foot, just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before about the smell.” Where does the smell come from?

A. Miss Emily’s unclean house

B. the decaying body of Homer Baron

C. a rat or snake that was killed in Miss Emily’s yard

Supporting Details:

2. “She told them that her father was not dead.” Why does Miss Emily tell the visiting ladies this information?

A. She has a good imagination.

B. Her father is not really dead.

C. She is too proud to accept their pity.

Supporting Details:

3. “‘Do you suppose it’s really so?’ they said to one another. ‘Of course it is. What else could. . .’” What fact does this open-ended sentence refer to?

A. Miss Emily’s possible relationship with a laborer

B. the fact that Miss Emily has no family in Jefferson

C. her father’s legal troubles over the estate of old lady Wyatt

Supporting Details:

Part II

Directions: Find at least 4 examples of Gothic Elements (you can use your PP Notes!) that are found in “A Rose for Emily.” Write which Element you’ve found in the “Literary Element” box, and then write an example (quote) of that element in the “Example” box. Fill in the remainder of the chart with examples for each literary element found in the story. Make sure to cite the page numbers where your find your information!