A Rose for Emily Literary Analysis

501 Words3 Pages
A Rose for Emily A Rose for Emily is a short story by William Falkner published in early 1930. Falkner was known for his unique writing style as well as his particular story lines. Emily’s story was a controversial one, especially for the time period it was written. It covers necrophilia, a touchy subject for any era. The title does not insinuate anything about the aforementioned topic, nor does Emily receive an actual rose in the duration of the story. Though the meaning of the title did not have a literal meaning it has a very important meaning. The importance of the title is the rose Emily has is the tint through which she views the world. In the beginning of A Rose for Emily we learned that Emily’s father was a martinet. He would not allow Emily to associate with the people of the town, nor would he permit anyone to court her. Her father thwarted any chance of her marrying. Though her father was quite domineering, when he died she refused to let him go for two days. Years preceding his death she kept the house exactly as it was when he died memorializing him with a portrait above the fireplace. She loved her father dearly despite the fact that he was a tyrant and forced her into spinsterhood. She viewed her father in an adoring way, ignorant of his faults. She viewed the all the men in her life with a rose in her eyes. Emily was in love with Homer. Her love was unrequited for ‘Homer himself had remarked –he liked men’ and he could not reciprocate her feelings. Homer was a blue collar worker deemed beneath her, yet the only person she associated with. She would spend every Sunday with him and give him clothing and such. This, along with her keeping his body for years, could be deemed an act of loneliness. She saw their relationship as romantic in nature, obvious from the room she kept him in. the shades on the lamps were rose in color, as well as the

More about A Rose for Emily Literary Analysis

Open Document