Rose For Emily By Faulkner”A Rose for Emily” is one of William Faulkner’s famous stories. Theantagonist of it is Miss Emily Grierson, which was forced by her dominating andrepressive father to grow up alone. She was raised to adhere to a certainstandards. So, she stocked with the old south’s rules. Miss Emily was raisedwith the belief that no man was suitable for her. And her father is the cause ofher superior feeling.
After her father’s death, she wanted to live her lifeher way, but every body in the town including the authorities make her feel thather life of living is unacceptable, and that based on old south and new southtraditions and beliefs. Her relation ship with the Colonel Sartoris to make herexempt from paying taxes is suspicious. But, he did not realize that once he isgone, there would be some one else to put her in the right track. Miss Emilytried to do some changes in her life when Homer showed up.
But her feeling ofloosing him made her start with a plan that kept him close until her death. Manyanalysts give attention to the story since the first time published. Petrymentioned two reasons for making “A Rose for Emily” a special. First, thedisordered chronology, Second the end of the story which is definitely ashocking ending to every reader. So we can see how the narrator starts offtelling that Miss Emily was dead and everyone in the town went to her funeral. Then, he went back to tell about Emily’s life, which ended by killing Homerand keeping his body in the “bridal bed.
” (52-54) Loneliness can be aterrible thing to prey on someone’s mind. Apparently no man was good enoughfor Emily, that why she never got married and was by self Her father gone andnow she is alone, even though she still have Tobe to help her with the marketand other chores. Then, the foreman Homer Barron showed up in her life. He wassent by the Construction Company to pave the sidewalks.
But, his job did notfinish there. He is the only one left, a northerner that would love her despiteof all the southerners who were scared of her weird family. Truly, Homer can notgive her what she is looking for neither did her father. The need forcompanionship is the basis of courting Homer Barron. When the work finished andHomer left town, Miss Emily was once again alone.
And the insanity began to setin. Even though her cousins stay with her for a short while, this is not whatEmily wants. When Homer came back, her chance for everlasting companionship wasavailable. So, she killed him to secure the fact that she will always have himby her side, and she will never be alone again. Blythe think that the mostprovocative aspect in the story is the motive in killing Homer Barron. And hesuggested that homosexuality is the reason for Emily to poison him.
Homerhimself said that he only like men, and whether this means he is gay as his lastname would imply, or he simply is just like to be around men, he will not settledown. Emily could not stand the thought of loosing another man; she wanted tosave face, her pride, and loneliness (49-50). In the other hand, Wallacementioned in one of his articles that he denied the knowing that Homer Barron isa gay, because he is wandering how the narrator know all of the details in thestory. Beside that, he did not get to write about Emily until fifty yearspassed, which will make every thing he says is suspect.
The narrator just wantsto trap us (105-107). Miss Emily is a southern lady. She was raised to adhere tocertain standards by stocking to the old south’s rules. She locked herself inher house and refused to see any one but her servant.
She represents the pastsouth (a fallen monument). In the story we can see how Miss Emily tried her bestto keep the southern tradition, she write on “note paper of an archaicshape” in “faded ink. ” After her father’s death, she kept him for threedays maybe because he was the only symbol of the south that left for her. Shetold the tax collectors to go and ask Colonel Sartoris to explain why she isexempt. Even though, he had died long time ago (Kurtz). By looking at Schwaework in analyzing “Rose for Emily”, we see that he think the watch in thegolden chain is the symbol of time.
It is in her pocket and not pinned to her,so she can have a total control of time. She thinks that any changing in timewill involve a loss. The loud sound of watch ticking will never let her forgetabout her duty to stop time and stay in the past (512-517). In the story wenoticed that there was an unclear relationship between Miss Emily and all menthat the narrator mentioned.
As Curry says we do not know exactly what happenedafter the Baptist minister visited her (397-402). Even the Negro manservant wholived with Miss Emily left. There was something needs to be cleared about hisleaving the scene after some curious lady came to visit. Carry thinks that Tobehas some important information, but since he was an African-American, thenarrator considered his information insignificant (397-402).
Even though Tobe isminor character in the story, he might be the one who killed Homer to protectMiss Emily from further humiliation that started when her father was alive. Pretty much any idea is possible since the author did not give clues to thedeath of either man. I feel sad about Miss Emily; every thing in her life wasnot fair. Is it her problem to have a measurable life as a child? Is it herfault to have maybe a mentally sick father? I think Miss Emily is a victim ofher society. I do not blame her, because I really can not feel what she wentthrough.
Even the narrator is not close enough to her to explain exactly how shefeels. Her life was translated by others feelings and from their point of view. Her life is going to stay as a mystery.
