Question

Faulkner uses several gothic elements in this plot: the imposing decrepit house, the decayed corpse, and the mysterious secret horrors connected with Emily's life. How do these elements forward the plot and establish the atmosphere?

Answer 1

Faulkner's gothic elements establish a mood of decline and decay, symbolizing the old South's deterioration and echoing the internal conflicts of his characters, propelling the plot of stories like "A Rose for Emily" and "Barn Burning."

Step-by-step explanation:

Faulkner's use of gothic elements in his works not only establishes a mood but also propels the plot forward. The imposing decrepit house, decayed corpse, and mysteries encapsulate the atmosphere with a sense of decline and decay, signifying the deterioration of the old South. These settings and symbols reflect the inner turmoil of the characters, as well as the conflicts they face—both externally and internally—and are brilliantly used to drive the narratives in both "Barn Burning" and "A Rose for Emily." This is aligned with Faulkner's belief that good writing stems from exploring "the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself." As such, the gothic atmosphere works in tandem with the plot to deepen the theme of human struggle against a backdrop of cultural and personal decay.

Answer 2

The best answer to the question: How do these elements forward the plot and establish the atmosphere, would be: it furthers Faulkner´s attempt at creating an ominous aura around the whole story, a sense of suspense and even horror, almost of disgust, towards what is going on in the story.

Step-by-step explanation:

"A Rose for Emily" is a short story that was written by American author William Faulkner in the 1930´s. The story belongs to the genre of Southern Gothic and it narrates the events in the life of Emily Grierson, a very strange, mysterious woman who seldom mingles with anyone and to whom a lot of strange events happen to. At the beginning Emily´s story is interwoven with that of her father, who keeps her isolated from everyone, but then, the father dies and for a time Emily seems to start coming out of her reclusion. She meets Homer Barron, with whom she falls in love, and who the whole town assumes Emily will be marrying, but in the end, Homer shows that he is not willing to take such a step, and after a while disappears. After that Emily selects absolute reclusion and an aura of decay, of death, almost of destruction and evil, starts to take over not just Emily herself, but her entire home. These gothic elements used by Faulkner: death, the smell of decay, the house that is almost destroyed, the corpse, all of them establish a really ominous aura, a sense of suspense and even horror.