When Love Turns into Loneliness

Good evening once again! Today I will be exploring some darker topics, which include loneliness, lost love, and even murder. The two pieces I will be discussing are "Mother," an excerpt from Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson and "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner. I will be comparing two female characters: Elizabeth Willard from the Anderson story and Emily Grierson from the Faulkner story.

If you have read both of these stories, you can tell that both Elizabeth and Emily are suffering. The two are both extremely reserved and possibly a little mentally disturbed, even more so on Emily's part. These women have gone from vibrant, outgoing young souls to ghastly shells of their former selves, because of the actions of a man. In Elizabeth's case, this man is her husband. In Emily's case, this man is her father.

Elizabeth Willard is a very lonely woman. She feels as if her inner self is dead, she has failed to establish a bond with her son, no one from her youth has stayed by her side, and she has grown to hate her husband. Why? Simply because he has decimated her deepest dreams. She had aspired to be a member of the theater, but that part of her had died once she married Tom Willard. It can be assumed that Tom told her that her dreams would not lead her to success, because she witnesses him do the same thing with their son, George. Elizabeth has sympathy for George, who wishes to be a writer.
The story of Emily Grierson is equally sad. Once a beloved, wealthy southern belle, Emily has become an absolute recluse since the death of her father and the diminishing of her high status. During her youth, Emily's father had always driven away her potential suitors. Therefore, she has never experienced romantic love. In addition, as she becomes more and more of an eccentric, members of the older generation speak badly of her, and members of the newer generation will not send their children to her home for china-painting classes. There is a smell that emanates from Emily's home and she is disconnected from the community.

After reading both of these pieces, one has to consider the topic of love.

http://www.lovethispic.com/image/75585/lost-love

It is possible that Tom Willard had adored Elizabeth in the initial years of their marriage, but as the years passed, he might have expressed his discontent with her aspirations. This disrespect of her dreams may have very well become a deep emotional wound for Elizabeth, and may have destroyed any respect she had for her husband, especially when she overhears him telling George that he needs to "wake up." It is very likely that her preparing to almost murder Tom in a theatrical manner was a result of this emotional abuse.
Similarly, one can assume that Emily's father had driven away all of her potential suitors out of love. Maybe he did not want them to hurt her, or maybe he believed that they could not support her or did not come from their same social class. In his eyes, he may have been doing her a service. However, doing so had clearly scarred Emily. Her need for love drives her to desperation when she poisons Homer and sleeps next to his corpse every night until her own death.

So, to recap, Elizabeth Willard has fallen out of love with her husband who has cast both her and her son into loneliness. This, in turn, has caused Elizabeth to loose love for herself, since she never stands up to Tom or tries to reclaim her life.
Emily Gierson has never experienced true romantic love. At the same time, she has lost her father, the only man who has ever seemed to genuinely show her love, even if that love was shown in a way with which she did not agree. Lastly, the home that had once housed her loveless life later becomes a place to trap love when she kills Homer so that she can always have him by her side.

Finally, let's take a look at the endings of both stories. While doing this, keep this question in mind: Did these women eventually receive what they wanted in life?
At the end of "Mother," George tells his mother Elizabeth that he must leave home. He wants to go and find himself and to free himself from his father's reign. The following passage depicts her reaction to this news:
"In the room the silence became unbearable to the woman. She wanted to cry out with joy because of the words that had come from the lips of her son, but the expression of joy had become impossible to her" (p. 811)
Although Elizabeth is unable to express her joy, shes still feels it. She has not been able to achieve her own dreams, but she is happy that at least her son is going to. She lives vicariously though him. I believe that she had a happy ending.
The conclusion of "A Rose for Emily," consists of the townspeople raiding the upstairs room of Emily's home after her death and finding Homer's corpse in the bed and a strand of Emily's gray hair on the pillow next to it. Frankly, this ending was disturbing. However, viewing it from Emily's perspective, she had received eternal love, plain and simple.

http://ofblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/william-faulkner-rose-for-emily.html

If I were to choose a favorite between these two stories, it would be "A Rose for Emily" because of its unique narrative style and shocking conclusion.

My question for you today is do you believe these two women ultimately found true happiness? Which of these stories do you like most, and why?

I hope everyone has a great week!