A_Rose_for_Emily

A Rose for Emily William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily”, is a short story about Emily Grierson and the unbelievable secret that has been kept for years. The story consists of the town people of Jefferson’s views and details on the troubled woman and her unusual life. This perspective provides information out of chronological order determining many sections to be patched together throughout the story. Throughout the patching, the readers discover the bizarre motives and unfold results of Emily’s unbelievable behavior. Sections one and two of “A rose for Emily” can be explained as the exposition of this short story. The first section begins with the town’s people narrating the story and informing the reader that Emily Grierson has died. They provide details of Emily’s life, telling that she was a woman from a family that was once considered one of the most respected in the town. They also told that after her father’s death Emily was left very poor and became a recipient of government relief. The town remitted Emily’s taxes for decades out of “pity and old-fashioned respect” for Emily, a lady once with such a prestige family. However, the reader can tell that the old-fashioned town and times are changing in this small Southern town. This is where the reader is presented with the first glimpse of Emily’s irregular way of thinking. Emily insists on not paying her taxes sending all tax collectors away. This is the first time that the readers see that Emily causes problems and is viewed as trouble to the town. Section two of the story, flashes back thirty years prior to Emily’s death. It is still told by the town’s people, whom tell of the horrible smells that had been coming from her house. The people of the town felt that it was rude to confront Emily directly, since she hadn’t left her house in years, so rather then ask her about it they took matters into there own hands. A few members of the town went to her house at night and sprinkled lime around her houses grounds, hoping to delude the horrific smell. Section two also is where information of Emily’s father and past is provided. Readers learn that Emily’s father was a very protective man who never thought anyone was good enough for her, and that is why she never married. Emily was very traumatized and left with nothing when her father passed away. This section further provides information on Emily’s troubled mind, showing that she doesn’t think on the same terms as a normal person. Emily didn’t cope well with his passing, in fact, Emily completely denied that her father had died and refused to allow anyone take the body for three whole days. The third section introduces readers to a new character, Homer Barron. The meeting of these too character causes much commotion to the town, determining this section to be the rising action of the story. Shortly after her father’s death, Emily meets Homer Barron, a construction worker who was working in Jefferson for the time being. This section informs readers that the town people are very judgmental to certain situations, just as Emily’s father would have been if he were still alive. Socially, Homer was not an acceptable companion for Emily since he was a construction worker from the North, and since Emily was once from a well-respected family. They began spending much time together and Emily becomes very attached, but when it appears that Homer will be leaving town Emily is upset and wants to keep him all to herself. Towards the end of section three the reader can tell that that Emily is obsessed, and starts to show her psychotic side when she goes to the store to buy some arsenic (poison). The storeowner asked Emily what she needed the poison for; Emily explained she was having rat problems. At the same time, the town believed Emily bought the poison to commit suicide, although, the reader later finds out that the poison was used to kill Homer Barron. Section three is where the climax of the story is depicted with the disappearance of Homer Barron. Homer vanished like he had said, never to be seen again in Emily’s lifetime. After this Emily remain in her house for most of the remainder of her life. The only socialization Emily encountered towards the end of her life was with a man name Tobe. He was the only person admitted to enter and associate with Emily. The town viewed Tobe as her manservant and found his and her relationship odd and their associations just as strange. At the end of this section Emily is 74 years of age and dies in the downstairs room of her house. Section five is considered the conclusion of the story. This is where all Emily’s secrets begin to unfold, allowing all of the pieces to be put together. After Emily’s funeral, the town’s people decide to go to Emily Grierson’s house. Finally having no one holding them back and a ton of curiosity, they enter house finding more then they hoped on. This section is where they discover the reason for the awful smell, the arsenic, and Homer Barron’s disappearance. They discover the body of Homer Barron upstairs in a bedroom of Emily’s home. Next to the horrific site of Homer decaying body laid a pillow with a head indent and a single gray hair on it, which was presumed to be Emily’s. The plot for “A Rose for Emily’s” can be described as mindboggling in more than one way. The irregular chronological sequence provides a sense of strange direction to the reader with the events being out of order. This concept determines readers to piece the story together, and section-by-section allows the reader to understand the different depths of Emily’s problem. After following along through the unorganized story one understands that her father, lack of respect for men, and her fear of letting go draws a conclusion to the bizarre story. The reader is lead to believe that she had been lying in bed with her long-dead lover for years, concluding the unbelievable secrete of Emily Grierson.