Abstract

A Rose for Emily is one of the most famous short stories of William Faulkner, and the most popular literary work in the world as well. The story is set in the town of Jefferson in Yoknapatawpha County, the center of Faulkner’s mythical kingdom. Miss Emily, the central character in this story, is an odd woman filled with tragedy. This paper will excavate the varied factors that result in her tragic life by analyzing her multiple roles as daughter, woman, victim, and murderer.

Keywords: A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner, Emily，multiple roles

摘要

《献给埃米莉的玫瑰花》是威廉·福克纳的著名短篇小说，也是一部享誉世界的文学作品。小说的情结设立在约克纳帕塔法县的杰弗逊小镇上，这是福克纳自己所创立的一个虚构的王国。而小说的主角，埃米莉小姐是一个性格古怪的人，她的一生都充满了悲剧色彩。本文将从埃米莉作为女儿、女人的角色，以及作为一个边缘人和一个谋杀者的角色这四个方向展开论述，从而探寻造成她悲剧人生的因素。

关键词：《献给埃米莉的玫瑰花》; 威廉·福克纳; 埃米莉；多重角色

1.    Introduction:
The south of the United States includes the southeastern states and the southern states along the Gulf of Mexico. “This is a unique region where people have their distinctive culture, viewpoint and history” (Zhang 194). In the Southern history, the Southern whites had kept slaves since 1621 until the end of the Civil War. So the South had quite special tradition: they had a strong sense of the past and the history, high opinions on family ties. Besides, the south is known as the “Bible Belt” and “a land of oratory” (ibid 194). Under such a background, Southern literature formed. The Southern writers focus their literary creation on the Southern setting, characters and subject matters. “They use the South as a microcosm, a miniature world for exploring problems of America, as well as the universe itself” (ibid 194). In fact, Southern literature can find its origin in Edgar Allan Poe 1, but reaches it peak with the appearance of two giants: Thomas Wolfe 2 (1900-1938) and William Faulkner (1897-1962).