Miss Emily’s Homer, Research Paper Example

Throughout this fictional portrayal of the 19^th Century, William Faulkner provides the reader with a non-chronological retelling of events in the life of Miss Emily Grierson.  Although it is clear that the story is being told from the perspective of a Jefferson townsman, the true identity of the narrator is never truly revealed.  The narrator’s anonymity only provides the reader with the first sense of ambiguity or mysteriousness that is common around Miss Emily (Jones 121).  While much of her life is controversial and often considered to be worthy of a psychologists’ scrutiny, it is clear that Miss Emily and Homer Barron’s relationship is worthy of much debate and analysis.  It also is quite possible that Miss Emily may actually be the reason for Homer’s death.  Specifically, Miss Emily likely kills Homer because of her father’s history of keeping suitors at bay, her father’s death and the impact on Miss Emily, and finally she likely was trying to prohibit Homer from leaving as he has already done.

As it was customary in the south, many of Miss Emily’s suitors must meet the approval of her father first before actually courting her.  It became clear that “the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were. None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such” (Faulkner par. 26).  This advanced and perhaps even conceited view of Miss Emily and the social status of the Grierson family forces Miss Emily to remain alone for quite some time without anyone in her life except for her father.  No suitor is ever good enough for her and this is emphasized by her father’s actions to keep her single and maybe even ensure that he is the only man in her life.  Faulkner continues to describe their evaluation process by stating that “We had long thought of them as a tableau, Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip…” (par. 26).  This latest line suggests that Emily’s father takes a proactive position in actively keeping suitors at bay by using a horsewhip to intimidate and physically force men away from his daughter.  After her father’s death, it is likely that Emily maintains a similar attitude that no suitor is good enough for her so she kills Homer out of spite to teach him the ultimate lesson of faithfulness to her.

The death of Emily’s father plays a critical role in shaping and perhaps misshaping Miss Emily’s perceptions of the world around her and her attachment to the persons closest to her.  Miss Emily refuses to allow the death of her father to creep into her reality because of the loneliness that she would feel.  Faulkner describes this by stating that “She told them that her father was not dead.  She did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body” (par. 28).  Finally, the constant appearance and condolence of visitors forces the reality of his death to be too difficult to ignore and Miss Emily breaks down to allow for her father’s body to be disposed.  Crosman states that Miss Emily is “Deprived of all normal suitors by a domineering father, she had clung to that father, even in death; deprived of her father, she had found a suitor outside the limits of respectability for a woman of her class” and ultimately she is threatened to lose Homer and finds “a way to keep him, and then she remained true to him all the days of her life” (209).  Homer already tried to leave Miss Emily prior to his death, and it is only logical that she kills Homer to ensure that he would never leave her again.  Even if he is dead, his body is still close to her to keep her company and this is enough for her, just as the reality of her father’s death is initially postponed by her psyche.

Homer left Miss Emily once before because his desires are not met.  The narrator states that “we were not surprised when Homer Barron–the streets had been finished some time since–was gone” and he speculates that his disappearance is to “give her a chance to get rid of the cousins” (Faulkner par. 47).  It is clear that Homer is likely displeased with the presence of Miss Emily’s cousins in her home.  However, prior to marriage the narrator alludes to Homer’s problems with commitment by stating that “Homer himself had remarked–he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elks’ Club–that he was not a marrying man” (Faulkner par. 45).  Whether it is Homer’s displeasure with Miss Emily’s cousins in the home or his adventurous unfaithful desires, it is clear that Homer has his reasons for leaving Miss Emily.  Given her extreme attachment issues from the death of her father, Miss Emily wants to keep Homer at her side for as long as possible.  Quickly, the plot evolves into “the story of a woman killing her faithless lover” (Crosman 207).  By killing him and refusing to accept the reality of his murder, she is forcing his physical body to be present in her home for as long as she lives.  This is similar to her denial of her own father’s death while his corpse lay near her.  Miss Emily kills Homer to avoid being deserted and alone.

Miss Emily murders her husband because she feels that he is never truly good enough for her; she could not psychologically bear him leaving her; and she wants to keep him at her side for as long as she lives even if that means that he is not alive.  Because Miss Emily has in fact killed her husband, it is clear that she is struggling with several psychological issues.  Many of these issues stem from her time with her father dating back to meeting with potential suitors, but these issues may have even begun prior to this.  Nevertheless, Miss Emily has an obvious fear of abandonment and wants to ensure that she will always have a man she loves near her.  Clearly, Faulkner wants the reader to believe that the arsenic plays a crucial role in Homer’s demise, and he audience knows that Miss Emily has a hand in Homer’s untimely death.

Works Cited

Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” MoonStar.com. Ed. Charles Phillips. Web. 03 Apr. 2010. <http://www.moonstar.com/~acpjr/Blackboard/Common/Stories/RoseEmily.html>.

Jones, Diane Brown. A Reader’s Guide to the Short Stories of William Faulkner. A reference publication in literature. New York: G.K. Hall, 1994.

Crosman, Robert. “How Readers Make Meaning.” College Literature 9.3 (1982): 207-15. JSTOR. Web. 4 Apr. 2010.