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Emily In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

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American writer William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, in 1897. Much of his early work was poetry, but he became famous for his novels set in the American South. His work, A Rose for Emily, depicts an older lady who fights with the town about taxes and then ends up in a relationship with Homer Barron. In William Faulkners, A Rose for Emily, everyone overlooks Emily as a suspect in the murder of Homer Barron originally because they didn’t realize he was dead, then because of their seemingly happy relationship, and finally because of her position in society. Homer Barron was dead for quite some time before the townspeople realized it, but why? They didn’t realize he was dead because of his way of life. Homer was a construction …show more content…

First off, she came from a well-known, upper class family. That is why the townspeople didn’t believe that Emily would date Homer, they thought she was to good for him. They state, “Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer” (454). Emily was held to an extremely high position in their town. When she died, “our whole town went to her funeral, the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument” (451). She was from a different time than the newer generation in the town and everyone had the upmost respect for her. She was seen as a good old southern woman, and they never even considered it possible that she could do such a thing. The town also pitied her, making it almost impossible for them to see her as a murderer. All throughout the story they use the phrase “poor Emily.” They use it when talking about her father dying, during her relationship with Homer, and after they believe he has left her. This line that is repeated all throughout the essay is important because it reveals that they have pity for her. Since they show her pity it blinds them to the fact that she has the capability of murdering someone, especially not her lover. Many of Faulkners writings depict the decay of the old south, which is prevalent all throughout A Rose for Emily. His stories also depict how important status is in older

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Homer’s body was kept in that upstairs room for over fifty years. After losing her father, Emily did not want to lose the only other male figured she had in her life. Emily thought the only way of keeping him with her for the rest of her life was by death and keeping his

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The story, “A Rose for Emily,” was written by William Faulkner and was published in April 30, 1930. This story is about a woman named Emily and her dealing with a lot of problems. Emily is very quiet and during this story, she losses her father. She also has problems with relationships. In the story, “Lamb to Slaughter,” was about a woman and her husband.

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oneself in a certain way. The community saw Emily as a sheltered woman because her father felt that no male was good enough for Emily. They believed she was lost after her father’s death, using a lower class male like Homer to surpass the hurt she felt. In all, Emily was neither of those things. Emily murdering Homer had everything to do with the revenge.

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Not only that, as Homer becomes a popular figure in town and is seen taking Emily on buggy rides on Sunday afternoons, it scandalizes the town and increases the condescension and pity they have for Emily. They feel that she is forgetting her family pride and becoming involved with a man beneath her station. Even though Emily is from the high class family, it does not mean that she is living up to the pleasant lifestyle. As a matter of fact, she is actually living a gloomy and desolate life, which is essentially the opposite lifestyle expected for Emily's rank in society by the townspeople. Although Emily once represented a great southern tradition centering on the landed gentry with their vast holdings and considerable resources, Emily's legacy has devolved, making her more a duty and an obligation than a romanticized vestige of a dying order.

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Significantly, in Part 4, Faulkner uses Homer Barron 's corpse rotting in a room filled with "invisible dry dust" as a symbol; Emily thought of Homer like a rose, one she expected to endure long after being picked, even after his body was corrupted by the decay of time. Hence, ‘A Rose for Emily’. Notably, Faulkner uses profound imagery to summon a decrepit atmosphere, as the theme is reiterated: accept it or not, change and decay are inevitable. This change Emily always refuses, as we have seen through her father’s death, in leaving the home untouched, and certainly through her murder of Homer to allow their relationship to continue. In this case, Emily attempts to freeze time

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