Motionless as an Idol - Columbus State University

Bullock 16father, illustrates both physically and metaphorically the complete negation of MissEmily's sexuality and independence.Diane Roberts elaborates on Railey's idea when she characterizes the SouthernBelle:The Southern Belle, heiress of the Confederate Woman, survived the Civil Warand Reconstruction and was carried on into the modern world like an icon heldbefore a ragged army. She is the heroine of the white South's most cherishedstory about itself: its designated work of art, bearer of its ideals. The body of theBelle was inscribed with the integrity and glamour of the South itself. (102)By the end of the story. Miss Emily is no longer viewed as the fresh and glowingSouthern Belle, but has instead morphed into another minimized figure in Southernsociety, the spinster. However, the Belle image is foisted upon her in the tableau, and allof the expectations that came with it were hers to bear in her younger years. As she ages,Miss Emily bears the lifelong burden of the Belle and also upholds the added burden ofthe spinster. The spinster was expected to contribute positively to society, demurelybearing her burden of solidarity and expectation of community service. But there is moreto analyze than the tableau itself; this ideology that drove Miss Emily's society isevidenced in her other artistic depictions as well.The first mention of art in the story is the description of the architecture of MissEmily's home: "It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decoratedwith cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of theseventies, set on what had once been our most select street" (73). The home is elaborate