A Rose For Emily

"Murder is born of love, and love attains the greatest intensity in murder." A Rose for Emily was a short story written by William Faulkner in 1929. In Faulkner's story, he depicts Emily Grierson as a southerner who poisoned and killed her lover, Homer Barron. Homer was a northerner whom Emily fell deeply in love with. As the story progresses, Faulkner goes into details about the occurrences, influences, and conditions which lead Miss Emily to kill Homer Barron.

Emily's decision to take the life of Homer Barron was probably caused by the events that happened in her life even before she met him. Back when Emily's father was still alive, the Griersons held themselves higher than what they really were (18). Her father isolated her from the others because he believed that the value of his daughter was greater than of the young men. Her father had driven away many of young men who approached her (18); therefore she remained single even when she reached the age of thirty. The effect of being kept back from loving any man for so long made her realized that she really needed Homer by her side.

Another reason for Emily to commit such acts towards Homer was because of her affection for him and the way she felt when he left her. It all began when Homer Barron came to town for construction work. During his stay in town, he meets Emily and the two starts dating. On Sunday afternoons, Emily would be seen riding with him in a yellow-wheeled buggy (19). After the paving of the sidewalks were completed, Emily knew that Homer had to leave and go back home. The lovers eventually separated after the paving was finished. Three days after his departure, Homer came back to town for Miss Emily (20-21). The day he came back was the last day anyone had ever seen of him (21). Miss Emily loved him and was afraid that he would leave her again so she bought the arsenic from the druggist to poison and kill him.

Miss Emily's anger towards