GREATLY ! Comparing Killings” by Andre Dubus and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

Here is my essay where I am comparing both Killings” by Andre Dubus and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
Murdering for Love

            Love can be described as many things. In both “Killings” by Andre Dubus and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, murders take place. The character Matt from “Killings” and Emily from “A Rose for Emily” end up murdering people out of love. Ironically, both of these stories start off at a funeral and are out of order. In a “Rose for Emily” the story starts off with her death then goes backwards to tell about her life history. In “Killings” the story starts off with Frank’s funeral then goes backwards to explain his death. The ways the author’s write in these stories create a type of suspense. The authors do a great job of making the reader empathize with the characters. The main points in both of these stories are story order, setting, and reasoning for murdering.

            The authors have a purpose of why the story is told out of chorological order. Dubus says in the first line, “Matt Fowler buried his youngest son, Frank, who had lived for twenty-one years, eight months, and four day” (96). As a reader we starts to put ourselves in Matt’s shoes. One starts to get the picture of just how short Frank’s life was. “A Rose for Emily” starts off at her funeral. There are roses at funerals. It seems as though someone is telling her life story. This is to put closure to her death.

Both of these stories take place in a small town. In “Killings,” Richard is out on bail. Matt and his wife see Richard throughout the town. Matt doesn’t think he would have to see Richard anymore. Matt says, “I didn’t think about bail. I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about him for years” (97). No one wants to see a murderer walk free. If Richard was still in jail, this story would have been very different. On the other hand, Emily has lived in this town her whole life. The narrator seems to be a gossip group within the town. The townspeople watch every step that Emily makes. The townspeople speculate that Emily “will kill herself” (88). Emily’s father keeps her sheltered from the rest of the town. The narrator says that Emily’s father has “his back to her and clutching a horsewhip” (86). Emily stays single until she is thirty. Emily is an outcast to the town. She is raised differently from the people in her town. There are different rumors spreading around about Homer. The narrator even says how they think Homer “liked men” (88). It can be inferred that Emily knows of these rumors because she tries to keep Homer.

The reason why Matt and Emily murder someone can be explained. Most parents think they will die before their children. It is hard when the children of parents die of natural causes, let anyone being murdered. Matt wants revenge for what Richard did to his son. Matt also, has to deal with the pain of his wife. Matt tells Willis how it is “killing” his wife to see Richard” (96). Matt’s grandchildren and wife will have to live with seeing Frank die right in front of them for the rest of their lives. For everything Richard did to the Fowler family, I empathize with Matt more. Matt needs closure for his grandsons and family. Dubus says referring to Matt, “He shuddered with a sob that he kept silent in his heart” (108). That is why Matt’s character I can empathize more with. Matt will carry the guilt to himself of what he did to Richard. Matt understands what he did was wrong. Emily in “A Rose for Emily” prisons Homer Barron. Emily has a hard time of letting go people she loves in her life. Emily keeps her dead father’s corpse for three days. The narrator explains how they are “trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body” (86). It takes a while for death and lost to set within Emily. Emily didn’t want to come to reality that her father was dead. Emily is once again troubled by the fact that she can’t let go of people she loves. It can be inferred that Homer is Emily’s first love. Like many women, Emily doesn’t want her first love to leave her. When Emily goes to buy the “arsenic” the lady explains to her how it is use if for “rats” (87). The word “rat” could symbolize Homer turning on Emily and wanting to leave her. Emily does love Homer. We learn that “in the second pillow was the indentation of a head” right beside Homer’s corpse. Emily lies right beside Homer’s corpse.

In conclusion, there are a lot of similarities and differences in “Killings” and “A Rose for Emily.” Yes, both character’s reason for murder can be explained. Their setting and story order has a lot to do with the stories. I empathize with Matt’s character more. Emily thinks she can control people from leaving her. That is not a good reason to prison someone. Matt and his wife are tainted by seeing Richard walking freely in the community. He simply just wanted closure to his son murder. In all, love can make people do some crazy things.

Works Cited

Dubus, Andre. “Killings.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 9^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2012. 96-108. Print.

Faulkner, William.“A Rose For Emily.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 9^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2012. 84-90. Print.