The "we" is communal by definition, but I would argue the "we" proceeds from a singular person linking himself with the town as a whole. The voice is that of a gossip or self-appointed town-historian, lending the story an oral quality, which is also enabled by the circuitous (or at least unchronological) ordering of events. If the "I" is behind the "we," the question of gender then presents itself: is this a man or woman speaking, or is the voice sufficiently distinctive to leave such a trace in the text? I would argue that the voice is male, although that is an intuitive rather than strongly reasoned response, based in part on the way the narrator describes the townsmen investigating the smell around Emily's house: who could tell a lady her house smells, the narrator asks. Well, I don't think a woman would say that; I think a woman would wonder why no one confronted Emily with the smell. This is just one instance of several small clues that suggest this might be a male voice speaking for the community.
No comments:
Post a Comment