CONNIE AND EMILY

Comparing & Contrasting Joyce Carol Oates' Connie and William Faulkner's Emily

Comparing & Contrasting Joyce Carol Oates' Connie and William Faulkner's Emily

Introduction

In the following paragraphs, I will attempt to present a comparison and contrast between two characters. The first character is Joyce Carol Oates' Connie while the second character is Emily in William Faulkner's A rose for Emily. Both are central characters in their respective plots; and the discussion will seek to present an elaboration of the similarities and differences that are present between the two characters.

Comparison & Contrast

Connie in Joyce Carol Oates is a unique character who resides in a state of mind where she can have no peace until she is praised and complimented for her beauty. In order to be happy, she needs other people to compliment her beauty and to tell her that she is beautiful. This places her in a position where she is reliant on others to support her self-esteem. In essence, while she appears to be infatuated with her own appearance, she is incapable of supporting her illusion of herself without being complimented by others. Connie chooses to consider herself superior to her mother. This particular trait can be observed at multiple times during the text. She loathes her mother's retribution of her habit of marveling at her look.

In William Faulkner's A rose for Emily, Emily presents a unique character. It is somewhat difficult to tell if Emily's infatuation is with her own self. She appears to have other things on her mind. It can be observed that Emily does not have any desire to be a part of society and rarely chooses to come out of her house. The extent to which she wishes to remain isolated can be observed from the fact that she refrains from establishing direct communication with the ...