William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a story that takes the reader on an unorthodox timeline. It is divided into five sections with each one containing important events that lead up to the ending of the story. The protagonist, Emily Grierson, lives a solitary existence during the late 1900’s. Her father secluded her from society and chased away every boy who had interest in her daughter. The father eventually dies and Emily seeks compassion with a laborer name Homer Barron which eventually does not end well. There were many things wrong in Emily’s life that eventually led her to poison and kill him and she along with her father and the townspeople are responsible for her actions. Emily Grierson was recognized all over the town …show more content…
The narrator of the story is in fact a civilian from the town who is telling the story. Emily had a sad upbringing from having an overprotective father, the limitations of her gender, and other sad events that occured in her life are what make her unreachable to the community and saw that as an excuse to ignore and just let her be. It is evident when Emily tried to hold onto her father’s dead body that she was doing something wrong but the townspeople allow it and excuse her from it. The townspeople stated, “We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away and we knew that, with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will.” They knew that it was actually crazy but they allowed it to happen. Another event they let pass was when that awful smell was coming from the Grierson’s resident and were intimidated in asking Emily to do something about the smell. Instead they send men to spray the lawn with lime to try and get rid of the smell. The townspeople did not seem to care for Miss Emily anymore and regarded her as a nuisance in the town. The Grierson’s also had a long history of insanity running in the family. They recalled a moment from her great aunt whom the town recognized as a crazy woman. The townspeople agreed that