Character Analysis Of Emily Rose In " A Rose For Emily"

The character Emily Rose in "A Rose for Emily" is considered a static character because; her traits throughout the story do not change. In the story she is deemed as quiet, inhuman and, even mad. However, through further inspection; there are characteristics displayed throughout the story that can possibly prove that Emily was a dynamic character. Throughout the piece Emily changes both mentally, socially and physically.

Miss Emily, the main character of this story, lives for many years as a recluse; she withdraws from her community to live in seclusion. "No visitor had passed since she ceased giving china-painting lessons eight or ten years earlier."(pg.31) Faulkner characterizes Miss Emily's attempt to remove herself from society through her actions. "After her father's death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all."(pg.31) the death of her father and the shattered relationship with her boyfriend added to her attempt to live in seclusion. Though her father was responsible for her becoming a hermit, her pride also contributed to her seclusion. "None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such."(pg.30) her pride kept her from socializing with other members of the community. Emily's father was solely held responsible for her being a hermit. "We remembered all the young men her father had driven away..." (pg.32) if he had not refused the men who wanted to go out with Miss Emily, she may have not gone crazy.

First of all, Emily Rose changes mentally throughout the story. After Emily father's death, Emily changes, but people in town did not notice it. Emily becomes depressive; which leads her to her own decay. People thought that she had a strong personality because she dominated the neighbors. Moreover, the townspeople saw Emily as a harmless secluded women that could be pitied because, of her lonesomeness. However, toward the end of the story her evil nature is realized. The townspeople brake down a door to a room in Emily's house and there lay Homer's skeleton in a double bed. Along side Homer's decayed body they found a pillow with an indentation of a head. On the pillow was a long strand of iron-gray hair. (pg.36) this suggests that Emily poisoned Homer and slept next to him every night for forty years after his death. Miss Emily may have wanted seclusion, but her heart longed for companionship. A reader of this short story would never have thought of Emily as being a killer; but, her desire for