The symbolic significance of the rose in A rose for Emily

William Faulkner, the recipient of the Noble Prize for Literature in 1950, was a renowned writer of the Southern Renaissance in American literature. Many of his long novels provided an overview of the American South in 20 th century, using his mythical Yoknapatawpha county to paint a picture of the situation in the region. A rose for Emily was his first short story, published in 1930. It successfully depicts the spiritual crisis experienced in the South following the Civil War through Emily's tragedy. "The rose" expresses Faulkner's grief and sorrow for the descend Emily. Accordingly, this paper will analyze the symbolic significance of the rose.