"Jean-ah Poquelin" & "A Rose of Emily"

"Jean-ah Poquelin" and "A Rose for Emily" are two similar short southern Gothic novels that focus on the disparity between the North and the South after the Civil War.  The North comes in and tries to change the stubborn South.  "Jean-ah Poquelin" is set in the time just after the Louisiana Purchase, where the Creoles are dealing with the changes the Americans are making.  Jean is a slave trader and is considered a hermit and chivalrous.  He is described with military adjectives, just like his house, which is savage and tough.  However, he must deal with the new, American ways, where aristocracy has no bearing on society.  Eminent domain causes him to eventually lose part of his property.  Jean represents the Creoles and the South in general, who are resistant to change, and keep upholding traditions.  Americans and the North on the other hand, represent change and progress, and the two obviously conflict.

"A Rose for Emily" also deals with the old vs. new, North vs. South theme as she does not listen to the new rules established, but instead dwells on the past.  Time is a large part of the story and it is completely scrambled.  At one point, we hear that there is a terrible smell of decay coming from the house, but we have no idea why.  It is not until the end, that we find out she killed Homer, he lover from the North, and his body has been decaying in the house for days.  This idea of time being scrambled can be representative of the South's denial of time. They continue to try to live in the past, and cannot comprehend the new life they must embark on after the Civil War without slaves.  Another theme in the short story that is prevalent throughout Southern Gothic literature is the tragic heroine/old spinster character.  Emily is the old spinster, who is the last in her line and represents her house, an old relic of the past.  She cannot come to grips with the changes occurring in society, just as the South couldn't come to grips with the changes the North was causing.  Overall, I thought the two stories were very good, and a much easier read than The Goophered Grapevine.