- The Southern Gothic genre relies on the belief that social order and life isn't real. Ms. Emily has lashed out against a social oppression that has kept her unhappy; "The Walking Dead" teaches us that no matter who you are, no matter how much money is in your pocket or where you're at on Sundays, you can die; you can become a zombie, a sinister and disgusting creature that is a carbon copy of every single other one. Quite obviously, there is no social order and class if everyone ends up the same.
- The Southern Gothic element seeks to take the archetypes of common literature and show that the characters have more depth. The writers in this genre want to show that the main man isn't just a knight in shining armor and the typical sidekick doesn't just bow down to the unimposing hero. Instead, the protagonist takes on an absurd quality or does what the classic hero is supposed to do, but has a deeply flawed characteristic somewhere deep inside. Rick Grimes, the major character of "The Walking Dead," has saved his damsel in distress, but due to her own decisions (*SPOILER ALERT*), could not be saved from herself. He suffers the loss of her in a sick, mentally disturbed manner, something a macho-man prince would never do. Likewise, Emily has proven herself to be the "damsel in distress" of the situation, but Faulkner appropriates her into being a psychologically disturbed old hag - a classic Southern Gothic heroine.
- While having the tell-tale gun-slinging sheriff, a dirt road, horses, accents, and old houses constitutes the Southern part of this genre; grotesque and morbid plot lines and blood make up the Gothic. As a rule, the Southern Gothic category is defined with its ability to delve into psychological incorrectness and dark, underlying themes of the fringes of society with a nod to a somewhat-supernatural element. It is completely plausible that a brand-new, raging virus could take over people's brains (much like Meningitis) in mass quantity and spread like wildfire, causing an apocalyptic world where, to survive, you must become a killer. It is quite obviously a metaphysical stretch to say that there would be cannibal murderers involved, but it certainly adds to the creep-factor. In the same sense, it is highly believable that a woman could kill a man and keep him locked up for years, but the fact that the very-close neighbors couldn't smell a dead body over some chemicals around the yard and the police never got suspicious brings to the preternatural quality.
A prevalent theme of this set of stories we were assigned came to me only when I read the very last one. In every work, there was a sense of illusion, or perhaps more accurately define as a facade.
Facade: the front or outer appearance, especially a deceptive one
With Ms. Emily in A Rose for Emily, it becomes apparent that she seeks to put on the face of what society wants her to be: a spinster, old and alone, with a bad attitude because of it. She does it well, so well that we are left to wonder if she truly felt the grief over her boyfriend's death or if she was just a creepy necrophiliac. In Ernest Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimajaro, while the main character, Harry, is dying a slow death, he pretends to hate his current wife. Or maybe he doesn't. Or maybe he does. With each change of his mind, the way he presents his attitude to her becomes a mask. In The Petrified Man by Eudora Welty, the relationships of each character are subjected to what the roles of men and women are in the current society. In a woman's world, each can chatter all they want about how they really feel, but come home and the perception of their character has been completely altered. Which is the real them? In The Swimmer by John Cheever, facades are a big part of the central idea. Ned, the protagonist, has tricked himself into believing in the grand life he once had and goes to great lengths to continue pretending he lives it because it was a happier time.
Putting on a facade has often been compared to being a "wolf in sheep's clothing." This does not always have a bad connotation, but just means that what is going on is not what the situation appears to be. Just like Ned in The Swimmer, his pretending has done nothing but prolonged his own painful realization. The story doesn't bother to tell how he has hurt anyone else other than himself. It is obvious, however, that he has put himself into this role -- that is, this false character -- because he can't take what he's done. It makes you wonder: what is more harmful? Is it bad to walk around as if nothing is wrong when you must eventually come home and face the facts? Is it wrong of someone to pretend that everything is okay when it may very well not be? For example, was it a terribly awful thing for Harry in The Snows of Kilimanjaro to put on a facade of anger so that his wife would let him go?
In a study done by the American Psychological Association, researchers say that putting on a facade may be a good thing. In doing so, you could be able to interact with other people socially in more acceptable ways than what the true thoughts are of your inner sanctum. But what is that doing for YOU? If you are upset, if you are falling apart, what good does it do to pretend that you are happy if everything is most certainly not 'okay'? It's like putting a band-aid on a wound that needs stitches. Just like in The Swimmer, Ned fakes himself out until the end, but doesn't fool anyone else, and when he gets there, he must face his horrible reality. In The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Harry accomplishes nothing except leaving his wife with a broken heart - he dies anyway. These are just a few examples, in my opinion, of why you should always be you, and the you that you truly are. Feel what you need to feel, and if you can't deal with whatever it is you need to, then get help in doing so. There is no shame in facing crisis, tragedy, depression, but there is in pretending like you are above it.
If you need help, someone to talk to, contact UNA's Student Counseling Services. There are people everywhere who would love to hear what you have to say and help you "be okay."
