Rose for Emily, Research Paper Example

A rose for Emily refers to a short story that was done by an American author, William Faulkner. The first publication of A rose for Emily was in 1930. A rose for Emily is a representation of a story that takes place in Jefferson City, Mississippi in a county of Yoknapatawpha. In this case, both the city and county are fictional. Emily is a factious representation of a woman who had undergone various kinds of suffering. She is described to have encountered a tragedy that had nothing to remedy. It therefore, elicits a woman who would be given a rose as a pity (Faulkner 45).

A rose for Emily is first told as a narrative that is not clear. It all begins at funeral of a lady called Miss Emily Grierson. Her black servant is the only person who had been to her house for a period of ten years. Though the house was previously one of the best in the region, it was immensely old. Emily had one problem of refusing to pay taxes to the town clerks. Though she was approached to do this severally, she could not give in. The first instance, in which the town people tried to go to Emily’s house, was not a success. This was because of a terrible stingy smell of her father who had died and could not be buried. This got to disturb the neighborhood, but the city people eventually solved the problem. When her father died, almost everybody was disturbed and felt sorry (Faulkner 93)

Next, the story evolves and reflects on Emily dating a town person just before her father died. This relationship is, however, stopped by relatives on account that she was being trapped into death. Whenever Emily was seen buying men’s items, what came to the minds of the people was that they were planning to marry one another. Homer, Emily’s boy friend is last seen leaving town and coming back. Emily became old and could not leave her home. She ages and dies in one of the places of her house, which had not seen light. The story again goes back to the funeral. Emily’s servant disappears forever after the burial of Emily. Town people get into Emily’s room and broke in knowing that it had not been opened for forty years. Inside the house is Homer, dead and rotting. Beside him was an indentation of a head together with long hair.

From the story, rose for Emily, we are able to see Emily as a fallen monument herself coming from a prominent background and failing to follow the stereotypical ways of the southern belle (Faulkner 92)

When Miss Emily died, it is told that the entire town went to her funeral. She was surely a fallen hero. Men are said to have paid tribute to Emily, the fallen hero. She had not let in affection that was offered by many men from town. At the funeral, many women were curious to see the inside of her house. It is the house help and gardener who are said to have had an opportunity to see the inside of that house. The house had been closed for a period of not less than ten years. Again, it is told that the house was once a suburb build on one of the most select streets in town. When Emily was alive, she had been a duty and care taker for the town. It was not true that she accepted charity, but it happened due to a maneuvered story by the town clerk. She was principled and could not accept offers from any man whatsoever (Merrill 67).

Emily is said to have vanquished men from town. She did this just as she used to do before the death of her father. Her sweetheart, the man thought to marry her, had deserted. She stood strong, though through suffering and pain. Though the village could complain about the bad smell arising from the house, it was hard for people to directly bother her. Her father had driven away many men who could have come into her life. After he had died, she remained hopeless, and had to content with that. She lived a hard life characteristic of Jefferson people who were living at that time.

Emily is said to have fallen sick. Her sickness took her for a long period of time. She looked like a young girl when her hair was cut short. She appeared a sort of a tragic and unruffled. Her boyfriend and husband to be, was working in the fields after the death of her father. In the evenings, they could be seen walking together. She was pitied at having lost kinsfolk due to disagreements of her father with people from Alabama (Faulkner 45).

At some instance in her life, Emily attempted to kill herself. Several accumulated distresses were almost taking her to death. When she had been seen with Homer Barron, people thought that they would marry one another. But then, Barron is said to have drunk with young men, thus was not a husband material. Other ladies remarked that this was a bad example to the young people. She was dismayed and attempted to kill herself. She could not do this though.

During the time of her burial, the town men assembled at Emily’s home with an intention to remit themselves with taxes levied since the death of her father. The house help disappeared. Before they entered the house, they ensured Miss Emily had been buried. This would give them time to ransack the house as no one had seen it for ten years. Several voices were heard with the breaking of the house. Dust filled the room, which looked vanished and well taken care of. Everything in the house had been arranged decently and orderly. In bed, the man, Homer, who had been thought to marry Emily, lay in bed dead. The posture in which the body laid in bed elicited some sort of embrace. He was however dead and gone. It was saddening (Robinette 78).

In a pillow that was placed next to the dead body was the indentation of a head. Filled with curiosity and courage, one member of Jefferson’s family lifted something from the indentation of that head. Just besides the nostrils, beneath the body, a long strand of iron grey hair was found. She went away a fallen hero. Emily, therefore, had one of the hardest lives one has ever lived. Due to her principles, together with the misfortunes brought to her by her father, she could not manage to make a better life. She lived and later died a fallen hero (Robinette 62-67)

Work cited

Anderson, Sherwood. A Rose for Emily, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 1999, print

Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily, Chicago, Perfection Learning Corporation, 2007, print

Faulkner, William. A rose for Emily, The Perfection Form Co., 1990, print

Faulkner, William. A rose for Emily: and other stories, Kairyudo, 1956, print

Merrill, Charles. A Rose for Emily, New York, Merrill, 1970, print

Robinette, Joseph. A Rose for Emily, Chicago, Dramatic Publishing, 1983, print