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“A Rose for Emily” By William Faulkner 1. What is the effect of the use of the pronoun “we” and “they” by the narrator? The use of the first person narration provides believability, intimacy and elicits an empathetic response; Keeps the narrator hold a objective, reportorial stance; Provides the alternate points of view; allows the diversity of voices revealed, showing a “collection of attitudes”: curiosity, pity, outrage, envy, admiration and etc. The narrator “we” functions as an omniscient narrator in company with the presentation of a more limited view. The narrator “stands at the furthest possible position from the heart of the story and still is within it.” The use of “they” makes the narrative voice somewhat confusing. Distinctions between “we” and “they” sometimes separate the narrator from other members of the community (“we” are teller-character while “they” are reflector-character) and sometimes mingle them together, both referring to the townspeople just like in Part II, III, IV. The mixing and alternate use of the teller-character and reflector-character; the internal and the external focalization and the omniscient and limited point of view make the narration complicated and elusive urge the reader to participate actively in narrative process and at the same time try to follow the narrator’s shifting point of view, otherwise, the reader cannot make clear whom “we” or “they” refer to. 2. How does Faulkner handle the time in his narration of the story? Faulkner uses a circuitous and oblique approach to deal with the time. E.g., the funeral, the visitation of the deputation, the problem of the smell, the death of the father, Emily’s affair with Homer, the visitation of the two cousins, the purchase of the poison, the Baptist’s visit, the reason for the two cousins’ visit, the purchase of man’s things, the disappearance of Homer Barron, teaching of china-painting, the reason for the remission of Emily’s taxes, Emily’s refusal to let a mailbox fa