A Critique of “Uncovering the Past: The Role of Dust Imagery in A ROSE FOR EMILY” Laurel Sparks College

Aubrey Binder's “Uncovering the Past: The Role of Dust Imagery in a Rose For Emily'” explains that the motifs of dust and decay are very important and prominent in Faulkner's story. Binder’s arguments for the motifs are strong, especially for the motif of dust. However, her article provides very little literary evidence for the motif of decay. While I agree with Binder’s motif of dust, I don’t agree with her arguments for the motif of decay, and I believe that the motif of pity would better fit the text.

Binder’s motif of dust is heavily supported in the text. She believes that the dust covering the objects and people in Emily’s home represents the obscuring of past events. She makes it very apparent that the dust does not change or erode the past, it simply hides it. (Binder 5) The dust provides ambiguity which helps to keep the townspeople clueless about what's really going on inside Emily’s home. To support this statement, Binder points out that Homer Barron's body was covered in an “even coating of the patient and biding dust.” This quote exemplifies how the dust really conceals parts of Emily’s life from the townspeople. When the townspeople found Homer’s body, it's like the dust was being brushed away, revealing the truth...