A Rose For Emily

6 Pages 1479 Words

An Analysis of “A Rose for Emily”

In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, the role of the community plays a major part in the story. The community’s feelings and viewpoints affect the events that are portrayed in the story. The narrator of this story is a member of the community. Therefore, the reader views Emily through the eyes of the community. Miss Emily is a very respected woman in her town. Her Grierson name is one reason the community holds her in such high regard. However, not all of the community feels this way about Emily. Many people in the town disapprove of the relationship between Miss Emily and Homer Barron, which affects the reader’s view of Miss Emily as well. Miss Emily is also unable to let go of her past. Her inability to leave her past behind causes the community to wonder if something is wrong with Miss Emily. The reader gets mixed emotions and feelings of Miss Emily because the community is narrating the story.
In “A Rose For Emily”, Miss Emily is greatly respected by the community; everyone in town knows about Miss Emily. The respect of Miss Emily begins with her father, Mr. Grierson. Her father was a very strict but also respected man. His strictness was shown through his dating restrictions for Emily. He didn’t think any man was good enough for Miss Emily. Having the last name Grierson made Emily a respected woman just like her father. A tale made up by Colonel Sartoris helped make Miss Emily and her father respected. Colonel Sartoris made up a story about Miss Emily’s father that he loaned money to the town. He then told Miss Emily that he emitted her taxes. Colonel Sartoris did this because he respected Miss Emily and felt sorry for her, and this was the only way he could pay her back for her father’s loan. These stories sculpt the reader’s perception of Miss Emily. The older generation in Miss Emily’s life respected her more than the younger generatio...