Analysis Of A Rose For Emily

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Laura Sundmark A Rose for Emily “A Rose for Emily”, is a short story written by William Faulkner. This story is set in Jefferson, Alabama in the late 1800’s. Faulkner divides the story into five non chronological parts which explore some events of Emily Grierson’s life. The story begins at Emily’s funeral, but then flashes back to an earlier time in her life. Emily has a house that nobody has been to in over ten years (with exception of her Negro servant). Emily and her father had a deal going with a mayor named Colonel Sartorius that stated she did not have to pay taxes. Years passed, Emily’s father died, and her husband-to-be/sweetheart deserted her shortly after. In the aftermath of these losses, Emily rarely left her house. Her home gave off a horrid smell and the town’s people were not happy that she wasn’t paying taxes. These facts gave rise to many complaints. The people of the town didn’t want to confront Emily at first; therefore they would secretly sprinkle lime to neutralize the smell. Emily could occasionally be noticed sitting in a window behind her jalousies with a bright light shining about her. Soon after her fathers death Emily starts to date a much younger man who is in town to work on the sidewalks. His name is Homer Barron, and he is known to enjoy the company of men, but is not the marrying kind. The town is totally against the affair and tries to bring in Emily’s cousins to put an end to their relationship. Next, the story tells how Emily is finally seen outside her home buying rat poison. The town’s people think she is going to kill herself because Homer had put an end to their relationship. Surprisingly, she is also seen buying men’s items that would be suitable for a wedding. Homer eventually leaves town along with Emily’s cousins. However, Homer soon returns and is last seen entering Emily’s house. Emily rarely leaves after that;

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