The story’s main character is Emily Grierson, a lady who lived with her father until his death. Before the demise of her father, she was asked not to marry. The event breaks her heart since she understands she does not have anyone else with whom to share life. When she eventually dies, it is reported that he leaves and never returns (Faulkner 237). Another character is introduced named Tobe, who serves as a butler in Emily’s house. Even though she did not relate strongly with the townspeople, she is seen giving art classes to young kids until the age of forty years (Bai et al. 611). She did this to earn money or livelihood after her father’s death.
She manages to accept the reality of her life, noticeable by the change in her hairstyle and becomes friends with Homer Barron. The association is confusing to some in her community, whereas others are happy that she seems to consider having a connection with someone (Bai et al. 612). The problem is that the townspeople think he is gay, although they do not have proof. From the story, it appears that Emily killed Homer with the means of poison and chose to sleep with his corpse (Bai et al. 612). The most victimized character is Homer, sin been accused of being gay without proper evidence, and then he is killed, and no one knows about it until Emily is dead.
Emily Grierson is a victim of her gender and class status in society. After the end of the Civil War, Emily’s family experiences hardships. Together with her father, they are the only people in their family branch that survive. Her father, who appears to be sexist, denies her the opportunity to get married (Faulkner 235). It is unfair for him to decide on that matter on her behalf, even though she is old enough to do that. He is the main reason behind Emily’s sad character in the story. It does not get better after his death as she is forced to remain inside her house. She cannot create relationships in the same manner as low-class people (Faulkner 236). At this point, she is experiencing loneliness due to her high social class in her community. It is even stated that the only other person to enter or leave her house is Tobe, her servant.
The story’s author uses a rose to symbolize a father’s love and the daughter’s desire to be loved. Every person in the town understood that Emily had not been married before (Huang 202). Her father refused to let anyone marry her and kept her in the house until his demise. Normally, he would allow her freedom to be out where potential spouses would meet and court her. Ironically, he loves her but denies her an opportunity to grow. For a flower or plant to be healthy and grow, it must be outside where sunlight reaches (Huang 202).
In addition to that, it is as well ironic how Emily desires to be in a relationship, but when she meets someone she adores, she kills him. She met Homer, a construction worker from a different town, soon after Mr. Grierson’s death (Faulkner 237). After being seen together and even impressing some of the townspeople of the new development, Emily decides to use the poison acquired from a local drugstore. She does this thinking it is the only way he could never leave her.
Works Cited
Bai, Xiaojun, Xiaotong Zhang, and Yihui Li. “An analysis of Emily’s characters in A Rose for Emily from the perspective of narration.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research, vol. 11, no. 4, 2020, p. 611-615. Web.
Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily, 1965, p. 234–431. Web.
Huang, Yan. “An analysis on rose in A Rose for Emily.” Journal of Social Science Studies, vol. 6, no. 2, 2019, p. 202–205. Web.