The current discourse aims to compare the literary elements in the short stories entitled “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “Sweat” by Zola Neale Hurston; such as the characters, symbols, and settings. Both stories evidently evolved in a rural town; where Emily allegedly lived in Mississippi County, Yoknapatawpha; while Delia lived in Florida; both settings were historically known to be backdrops for racial discrimination.
In terms of characters, the short stories evolved around the main characters, Emily Grierson and Delia Jones, both emanating distinct traits of strength and resilience in battling challenges in their lives. Emily could be classified as a flat character since not much description was provided; nor known to the narrator, deemed to be an observer and part of the local townsfolk. There evidently remained to be much of a mystery to the character of Emily which contributed to the level of intrigue sustained from the part of the townspeople. On the other hand, Delia is more of a round character, described in a more dynamic and well-developed stance. Likewise, as a washerwoman, Delia exhibited traits of realistic activity that supported the kind of character embodied in her personality.
The main characters in the stories were supported by equally distinct supporting characters: Homer Barron as the sweetheart of Emily; and Sykes Jones as the husband of Delia. Homer Barron could also be classified as a flat character, just like Emily. He exuded an air of mystery and was not fully or extensively developed. On the other hand, Sykes is also a round character, where expressly described traits were provided including being an abusive husband, a womanizer, loud and gaudy.
The symbols in the stories have some similarities. For instance, the titles were very symbolic: a rose for Emily symbolized a token of honor when she was actually given flowers during her funeral as a symbol of respect for her being a legend in their town. On the other hand, sweat, as the title in Delia’s story, symbolized the challenges suffered by the main character as she solely struggled to support herself and her husband all through their lives. Other shared symbols include the use of poison as the means of inflicting death to their loved ones: Homer was poisoned with arsenic; while Sykes was poisoned with the venom of a deadly snake. Likewise, the house was also a symbol of entrapment for Emily, that despite its grandeur, like her life, it evidently evolved into neglect and decay. In Delia’s story, the house became the reason why Sykes wanted to kill her to enable him to provide a home for his lover, Bertha. Thus, despite the house being a symbol of shelter and protection, the house became the symbol of negativity, isolation, indifference, distrust.
Finally, the two short stories ended with an air of loneliness. Emily died in the story; while Sykes, Delia’s husband died in Sweat. The only disparity is that in A Rose for Emily, the narrator effectively disclosed the reclusive and isolated life that Emily lived. In Sweat, Delia’s challenges in life finally met a chance for redemption and relief from the challenges and hardships caused by her husband. While Emily died in vain for secretly killing the man she loved; Delia was redeemed from the struggles of an abusive husband, whose death was caused by his own selfish desires.
Works Cited
Faulkner, W. "A Rose for Emily." 1930/1958. xroads.virginia.edu. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~drbr/wf_rose.html. 7 November 2013.
Hurston, Zola Neale. "Sweat." n.d. massey.ac.nz. http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/fms/Colleges/College%20of%20Humanities%20and%20Social%20Sciences/EMS/Readings/139.105/Additional/Sweat%20-%20Zora%20Neale%20Hurston.pdf. 10 November 2013.
