Emily Grierson Mental Illness

William Faulkner’s main character, Emily Grierson, in “A Rose for Emily” would seem strange by anyone who reads the story. A person could analyze her character in a number of different ways. It is hard for one not to see her in a psychological way. As the story progresses, Miss Emily’s behavior becomes increasingly bizarre. By the end of the story the townspeople, just like the reader, is left wondering how over many years Miss Emily has been living with a dead corpse in the house and even sleeping with it. Surprisingly, the corpse is her dead lover, Homer Barron. Emily was never diagnosed with a mental illness by a professional, but Miss Emily’s character and her erratic behavior certainly lead a person to believe there is a likelihood

For example, analyzing the setting and evaluating the characters in the story, especially her father, enables the reader to understand the pressure Emily was dealing with and how she could have developed schizophrenia. Miss Emily’s family was of great wealth and statue in this southern community. Miss Emily always felt pressure to live up to the expectations of her father as well as the other people of the community. “Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town” (Faulkner 299). Miss Emily’s father, as well as the townspeople, expected her to uphold the traditions. Miss Emily’s father pushed these traditions upon her and was very rigid in enforcing them. Her father had “thwarted her woman’s life so many times” (Faulkner 305). Miss Emily’s father would dismiss every suitor who would call on her because he thought none were suitable for her. As a result of her father’s actions Miss Emily never found someone to marry. This is just one behavior of the father which caused stress on Emily and possibly induced the onset of mental

In the beginning Miss Emily has only a few callers, and the townspeople who have the courage to visit her “were not received” (Faulkner 301). There is a period of time Miss Emily withdraws from society and “from that time on her front door remained closed” (Faulkner 305). When the townspeople “next saw Miss Emily” (Faulkner 305) the differences in her appearance also hint at signs of a mental illness. Miss Emily “had grown fat and her hair was turning gray” (Faulkner 305). Miss Emily’s lack of interest in taking care of her appearance and perform the “tasks of daily living” (American Psychiatric Association 147) display severe deficits in “social/occupational functioning,” (American Psychiatric Association 147). Grooming and hygiene are considered some of the tasks of daily living and is one of the criteria for the diagnosis of schizophrenia. If the reader is to believe Miss Emily was suffering from a mental illness such as schizophrenia, then they need to understand the influences that drove her to this illness.