A Rose For Emily

2 Pages 582 Words

“Time which destroys and renews all things has placed us here.” This quote can be analyzed through William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily. This story is about an old woman who was held in high regard in her society. She lives a lonely life due to the overbearing wishes of her father, who did not allow her to socialize as a young lady. Once her father dies, the town sees it as a duty to care for Emily as a way to pay respect to her dead father. Emily, at the end of her life, meets a gentleman and takes a great interest in him. The two of them are seen all over town as if they were an intimate couple. One day the man disappears and is never seen again. It is not until the end where he is found dead in a locked room in Emily’s house. Emily could not change the past and therefore could not change the future. She had shocked the community with her secret; her decision to “stop time.”
As a young child, Emily is deprived of friendship. Her father is a well-respected member of the community and holds his daughter to the same standards. Her father would not approve of any of her male suitors; nobody was ever good enough for Emily. She has to rely solely on her father for love and support. When her father dies, she is left alone with nobody to fill the loveless void in her life. It is at this point in time that her life is “destroyed” and it is not until she meets Homer Baron that her life is “renewed.” With Homer in her life she felt more alive and walked around with “her head high.” Although, it is ironic that she takes an interest in a laborer knowing that her father would have forbid it. Emily is rebelling against her father and taking control of her own life, even though it is late in her life.
It is towards the end of the story that the idea of “you can never go home again” is presented. Homer decides that he is going to go back up North. When Emily hears of this news she does not know what to ...