A Rose For Emily Schizophrenia

Diagnosing Miss Emily In the short story, “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner writes about Miss Emily Grierson’s entire life and focuses on her secretive lifestyle. Throughout the story, she is the talk of the town, being the ‘upper-class’ who definitely does not act as such. A major event in Miss Emily’s life that seemed to have a drastic impact on her behavior is her father’s death (Faulkner). Her abnormalities begin to arise after his death and she seems to suffer from depression because she denies the fact that her father has passed, she never cleans her house, and she secludes herself from the outside world. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression can occur after stressful situations, such as the loss of a loved one. Mr. Grierson’s death appears

“It [the house] smelled of dust and disuse – a close, dank smell” (Faulkner 2). It is apparent that Miss Emily lacked the motivation to clean or was just too tired to clean. Her body also showed her lack of movement. She is described as: “Her skeleton was small and spare; perhaps that was why what would have been merely plumpness in another was obesity in her” (Faulkner 2). Both her unkempt house and fragile frame suggest her lack of motivation or extreme tiredness, which is a symptom of depression (Depression: MedlinePlus). Lastly, a clue that Miss Emily suffered from depression is her isolation. Her actions are described as: “After her father’s death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all” (Faulkner 3). She also seldom spoke to anyone and had little contact with her family, except for her two cousins (Faulkner). Social withdrawal is, in fact, a symptom of depression, further proving that Miss Emily suffered depression (Signs and Symptoms - Depression and Bipolar Support