A Rose for Emily

September 23, 2004

"A Rose for Emily," written by William Faulkner, is told from a third-person point of view. The narrator, an anonymous resident of the town of Jefferson, represents the attitudes and ideas of the community. The main character in the story is Miss Emily. I think the theme of the story is death. The story begins with death. "When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral." (Faulkner 169). Miss Emily appeared to be dying throughout the story. "Her skeleton was small and sparse." (Faulkner 170). "She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue." (Faulkner, 170). This use of foreshadowing in the story builds up the concepts associated with death. 

Miss Emily appeared to grow up in a comforting environment. "It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street." (Faulkner 169). This description gives the reader the impression that the mansion was large and in a good location, and had been beautiful. But now the house was decaying along with Miss Emily. "It smelled of dust and disuse-a close, dank smell" and "a faint dust rose" (Faulkner 169). 

The whole town had looked up to the Grierson family, and the community had considerable respect for Miss Emily. Her father was a strict and dominating man. He believed that no one was good enough for his daughter. "We remembered all the young men her father had driven away." (Faulkner, 171). 

After his death, Miss Emily had a relationship with Homer Barron, who was fun, but gay and a Yankee. "Homer Barron, a Yankee, a big, dark, ready man, with a big voice and eyes lighter than his face." (Faulkner 172). Then he disappeared. Emily purchased arsenic.

I noticed the foreshadowing of death when Emily went to purchase the arsenic. I thought she was going to kill herself after her beloved Homer Barron disappeared. Because of her role as aristocratic woman, her death would be favorable compared to shame. Instead, she killed Homer Barron for deserting her. Forty years later, she died of old age.  

When Emily learned Homer was gay, she realized that the town would laugh at her, or express sympathy that she did not want. These motives could be the reasons that drove her to kill him. In this story, the community's feelings and attitudes always affect the events that are depicted in the story. The reader always views Emily through the eyes of the community as told by the narrator. 

"A Rose for Emily" was pleasant to read. The author's arrangement of events developed more suspense for the reader. His choices of words and characters were descriptive and always told more about the theme of the story. I also liked William Faulkner's use of symbolism to compare the Grierson house with Emily Grierson's physical downfall.