From the beginning, the community depicts Miss Emily more as an unwanted object they wish to explore than a recently deceased person. Part of the first line reads, “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house” (Faulkner, 391). When a person dies, the initial reaction of most people would
When they approached her regarding this subject she replied, “See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson.” (Faulkner 92) She is out of touch with time and does not care to keep up with the changing world around her, she would much rather keep the traditions that she has grown accustomed to, even if it is from a false pretense. Another major challenge to this continuity is the now free African Americans that used to be slaves. Colonel Sartoris decreed that “no Negro woman should appear on the streets without an apron-remitted her taxes.” (Faulkner 91) This was a last hope for this southern society that they may leave the old
The dust symbolizes accumulation of unremoved past. When the town gets free postal delivery, she alone did not let the postal service workers put a number on her house; she resisted change so much that she does not even accept her letters because she has isolated herself from the present (39).
It is evident that as time passes, the people of Jefferson as well as her dying father become forceful (needs to be a different word) towards her. Faulkner makes it obvious to the reader in the story’s opening scene that her and her father have always been old fashioned. Her father always scared away potential suitors for his daughter, because they didn’t meet his expectations. While the story is never given an exact date, the narrator makes it clear to the reader that the characteristics and customs were long outdated, even for the deep south. Emily is a character, along with her family and possessions are all antiques from a time since gone, the very embodiment of the old south.
She refuses to have metal numbers on her house and to pay the taxes the officials urge her to pay. She refutes paying taxes claiming that the “general” said that taxes don’t have to be paid. Emily is living in the past and refusing to live up to the changing world around her. In doing so, she is an emblem of the old south and is representative of the old aristocratic nature of the Old South. However she refuses to change these patterns and align with the changing social order of the south.
Their “patriarchal chauvinism [and need for purity in] womanhood, [became a] conflict between community and [the] individual,” (Fang). These are some of the stressors a southern bell like Emily endured. Unfortunately, Emily’s battle with them left her alone and possibly, never knowing the “pleasure” of a man. The
The town played a definite part in Miss Emily’s mental delusion. There were numerous complaints of a foul stench coming from her property and yet no one addressed it to her directly. A younger member of the Board of Aldermen suggested that Miss Emily be told to clean up her property. But due to the old southern ideals of honor, duty and loyalty the older, the more traditional members could not possibly confront her about this matter as ‘Dammit sir”, Judge Stevens said,” will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad?”(93) So in the midnight hour they chose to slunk about the house and apply lime to the infected areas. Lime is a white powder that is good at covering the smell and aiding in the process of decomposition.
He was not able to come to terms with himself that the times were changing, and in turn, Emily was shunned away from the more modern generation of people her own age. Being the obedient daughter she was had caused Emily to become very desolate at the time of her father’s death. It led her to a life locked away in her house, preserving what little she could hold on to. Not only did her
When Miss Emily is required to pay the taxes like others by new generation, she acts stubbornly and refuses to follow the proposal because she thinks that it is irrational to ask an old Southern woman to fulfill this task; her reaction seems to reflect her attitude that cling to the past; she believes her father’s dedication to the town is still valid for the tax exemption and “see Colonel Sartoris” is her only reply to the young men even though that the mayor has passed away at least ten years ago. Another component that emphasizes Miss Emily’s mysterious life and hidden truth is the physical appearance of her and the house. They all appear to be dark and uninhabited; since the whole town have limited access to her own privacy and the author does not explicitly state any thing about her inner life, readers will be allowed to have their own guesses and suspense until the end. The second section seems to associate with the third one where the author takes all readers back to the past; Miss Emily’s father’s death and the relationship between her and Homer Barron dramatically affect on her behaviors and bizarre events around her house. The
Throughout the story Miss Emily goes to extreme measures to protect her social status. Miss Emily lives in the past to shield herself from a future that holds no promises and no guarantees. William Faulkner illustrates Miss Emily's inability to accept change through the physical, social and historical settings, all of which are intimately related to the Grierson house. The Grierson house is a physical reminder of Miss Emily's reluctance to change. The "big squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and scrolled balconies in the heavenly lightsome style of the seventies (236)" was located on one of the most prominent and prestigious