Diagnosing Miss Emily

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Diagnosing Miss Emily Miss Emily Grierson, the title character in the story “A Rose for Emily,” is definitely a different type of individual. Hidden away from civilization, stuck in a world of her own beliefs, Emily never receives any type of psychiatric help, but she certainly displays symptoms that suggest a mental illness. By looking at Emily’s behavior and her common relationships, it is possible to diagnose Emily with a mental illness. Although her town never thought Emily was “crazy,” she was undeniably a very sick person, maybe not physically but mentally. If you’re having trouble recognizing signs of mental illness in Miss Emily, this psychological character analysis of Emily will be quite helpful. (Foreshadowing) In the case of Miss Emily (Round Character), an in depth look at her background and the other characters in the story, as well as an analysis of some of the themes in “A Rose for Emily” and especially moments that involved Miss Emily’s father, helps the person who reads to recognize the certain type of pressures with which Emily has to handle and how, by extension, she might have developed schizophrenia. Miss Emily was from a family of great standing and money in their tiny Southern town, and Miss Emily had always been stuck with the high expectations that other people had of her. Her father, blamed with instilling these traditions and values to Miss Emily, was firm in reinforcing what to expect. The narrator describes her father’s behavior perfectly, “We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will” (Faulkner). As a result of this, Miss Emily never married. The narrator does suggest that the community women at least understand the viability of secrets as regards Miss Emily and her house (Curry). Through what the narrator
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