Emily Grierson and Ambrose Bierce

In works of fiction, traditionally the sympathetic characters do actions that are heroic and those that are supposed to be unsympathetic perform actions that are decidedly less so. Given that humans are very judgmental creatures, authors have tried to change reader perceptions by providing plots where characters that may perform unspeakable acts are arguably the most sympathetic creatures in the piece. It is difficult to see a murderer in anything other than a negative light. In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," and Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," the two authors create antagonists that are killers, but who are compelling and developed enough that the reader cannot dismiss them as mere murderers. Instead, readers are challenged to look at the events surrounding the crimes to make their own determinations about each protagonist.

William Faulkner's 1930 short story "A Rose for Emily" tells...
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