A Rose Of Emily

“A Rose for Emily,” written by William Faulkner, is a third person narrative about a woman who grew up in the south under the rule of a very controlling father during a time when women’s rights were still a distant reality. Although the story is one of William Faulkner’s shortest works, it is viewed as one of his most popular. One of the things that make this story so popular, besides being short, is its mysterious plot.

In the beginning of the story, Emily, the main character of the story, is described as being under the strict rule of her father who is only encouraged by the townspeople for the discipline he tries to teach his daughter. Her house is described as "lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps--an eyesore among eyesores." This line seems to not only describe Emily’s house, but Emily herself. Emily’s stubbornness and unwillingness to let go of the past makes the given description of her house very fitting for one of herself. Emily is described in the story as “bloated like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that palled hue." Again, this description is comparable to the description given in the previous paragraph of Emily’s house. Emily’s house is described as being dusty and having the dank smell of disease. Although Emily does not have much contact with the people of her town throughout the story, it is clear that they have a large impact on her life. The encouragement they give to her father to keep her sheltered and use strict discipline may have been the major contributing factor to Emily’s apparent mental problems and desire to be secluded from the rest of the town.

Emily was so mentally scarred by her fathers controlling ways that, as soon as her father died, she seized the opportunity to get romantically involved with a man named Homer Barron; however, unlike Emily’s father, Homer is not as involved in her life as perhaps she would like him to be. Homer is described as liking men and “not the marrying type.” Many people who have read the story believe that, even though it is not explicitly said that Emily kills Homer, that this may have served as a possible motive for Emily to kill him; it is commonly believed that Emily may have