A Rose For Emily
I can definitely say “A Rose For Emily” is an interesting piece. This story was so simple yet the plot had much more behind it. When I first read this piece, I thought it was about the life of someone who passed away. It seemed like the narrator was listing the important parts of her life then explained it in detail. As I read it, all I can think about is why this is important and what does this have to do with this story. I kept asking myself, “What’s going to happen?” because I was waiting for something good to happen. When I mean good I mean interesting because I was pretty bored. I did have an idea of someone dying in the story but it seemed more about Emily and how she died since the story began that way. It wasn’t until the twisted ending that the story became fascinating, realizing how disturbed I was by such an ending.
I think Emily and the murder Emily committed had to be the most interesting part of the story. I say this because the story line revolved around and Emily and it wasn’t until later that I find out she kills someone that the story really grabbed my attention. I didn’t real think of any situations in my life that related to the story since I’ve never killed a person before. Maybe one way I can relate is how I felt left out of the “in-crowd” in high school the same way society left Emily alone. Sadly, I wanted to feel like I belong, I didn’t want to be alone and left out, in fact no one does. It is different in Emily’s case considering she refused to be a part of society at all but she was alone.
There are many symbols that represent the theme and meaning of the story, in which case the setting was the greatest working factor into conveying the author’s message. I believe Faulkner was trying to say that Southern American traditions should stay considering that he is a Southern native and had to experience the changes the South was going through. It seems to be this way because of Emily. Emily was raised under Southern customs and her strict father. The beginning of the story even told of how she wouldn’t pay taxes and she never did. This is the first sign of how she is accustomed to the way of South and refuses to change. I also believe that because her father was so strict she was very reserved from the rest of the townspeople. I think she didn’t want to associate with society because of her stubbornness in conforming to North. In turn, the townspeople had also left her alone and saw her as an outcast since she didn't pay taxes. It wasn’t until she started dating the Northerner Homer Barron after her father died that the townspeople paid attention to her.
Homer Barron had a major role into the plot of the story. He was from the North and working as construction worker to build sidewalks in their town. The sidewalks are a Northern idea being brought into the South. Homer was dating Emily for a little while until things started to change. Apparently Homer left as if he disappeared. In the end we find that Homer is dead, poisoned by Emily’s doing. It became clear that Emily has an extreme dislike for the North and probably felt the need to murder Barron because he was from the North. The story is North versus the South in this sense. Faulkner wanted to prove it, to prove that the North could never replace the South. Thus, the ending turns out to be creepy. Emily murders the man she dated but keeps his body for the rest of her life, on her bed to sleep next to every night. How much more creepier and disturbing could it get?
One element of the story which really caught my attention is if Emily was actually ill in her mentally. Do you think Emily became insane because of her background (her father’s strictness, southern identity, etc.)? Or do you think that she may perhaps be born with such a mentality? I honestly think Emily is pretty crazy to have committed those things in the first place and trying to make sense of why she did it seems to not make sense at all.
-Christine Molina
