About William Faulkner
William Faulkner was born in New Albany in 1987. He was an American writer who wrote many novels, short stories, poems, essays, and screenplays. He is popularly known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional county of Yoknapatawpha.
A Rose for Emily
A Rose for Emily is a short story by William Faulkner, first published in April 1930 in The Forum. It was Faulkner’s first story to get published in a national magazine. A Rose for Emily is an important short story for students who frequently have to write an essay on it for school assignments. Luckily, they can easily take help from samples of essays on A Rose for Emily that are available online. Websites such as Tooly have great examples of essays!
Themes Present In The Story
The story is set in Jefferson, a fictional city that is caught between traditionalism and modernism. Emily herself is the representation of a time-old tradition; she stays the same for many years and doesn’t welcome change. Death is also portrayed as an important element in this short story; at the very beginning, Faulkner mentions Emily’s death and then ponders over her life.
When Emily clings on to her father’s body for three days after his death, we see another theme emerge – the desire to overpower death. This is again repeated when Homer dies, and she doesn’t give up his body, although she killed him herself. Emily tries to fuse life and death, but in the end, death is always triumphant.
Main Characters Of The Story
- Emily Grierson
Emily, the protagonist, is a figure of mystery, who transforms from a young and vibrant girl into a secretive old lady. After her father’s death, she is completely devastated and becomes an object of pity for her town’s people. She starts seeing a newcomer named Homer Barron, whom she poisons later on.
- Homer Barron
Homer Barron is a foreman from North. He’s quite popular in Jefferson due to his lovable sense of humor. He develops an interest in Emily, but the chances of their marriage decrease as Emily grows into a pale and bloated woman. One day Emily poisons Barron and then leaves his body in a room in her house.
- Judge Stevens
Judge Stevens is an eighty-year-old elderly man who is also the mayor of Jefferson. After getting a complaint about a smell coming from Emily’s house, he decides to sprinkle lime on Emily’s house to protect her pride and position in society.
- Grierson
Mr. Grierson is Emily’s father. He is the most controlling figure in the story; he prevents Emily from finding a husband for herself because he wants her to stay with him, and under his control.
- Tobe
Tobe is Emily’s servant, who serves her dutifully until she dies one day.
- Colonel Sartoris
Sartoris is the former mayor of Jefferson. He helps Emily avoid all sorts of taxes after her father’s death.
The Plot
William Faulkner has divided this short story into five parts. In the first part, the narrator recalls the time when Emily Grierson dies, and everybody in town visited her house, which was once forbidden for anyone to enter, to attend her funeral.
Colonel Sartoris, who was the town’s previous mayor, excused Emily from all sorts of taxes after her father’s death. He justifies his action by saying that Mr. Grierson once lent the town a huge amount. New town leaders wanted Emily to paying taxes, and for that purpose, they pay a visit to her house. However, she doesn’t speak to them. Instead, she tells them that they should discuss the matter with Colonel Sartoris.
In the second part, the narrator talks about what happened thirty years ago when the town’s people detected a strong odor emerging from Emily’s place. The townspeople wanted to begin an official inquiry into the matter, but Emily resisted it.
Instead, Judge Stevens gets lime sprinkled all over the foundation of Emily’s place in the middle of the night. Soon, Emily becomes an object of pity amongst the townspeople. A common thought among the community was Emily’s pride, which was thought to be the reason she’s still single at the age of thirty.
The narrator then describes how Emily fell ill after her father’s death. During the summers, the townspeople had hired some workers to pave the sidewalks. These workers belong to Homer Barron’s construction company. Homer, after coming to Jefferson, wins the hearts of the townspeople with his sense of humor.
He starts developing an interest in Emily, and soon they are seen wandering around town together. The townspeople start to talk about how it is unlike Emily to date a man who is below her status, and her reputation is compromised a lot. After she hears this, Emily goes to a drugstore to purchase Arsenic, a powerful poisonous drug. She is required to give an explanation for her purchase but stays quiet. Later on, the parcel is delivered to her place, and the label reads “for rats.”
The townspeople fear that Emily will use that poison to kill herself. The Baptist Minister of the town is forced to talk to Emily. After meeting her, he says that he cannot talk about the incident and will never visit her again. The minister’s wife then writes a letter to Emily’s cousins, who come over for a stay at Emily’s place.
Later on, Emily places an order for a silver toilet set inscribed with Homer’s initials, and people begin thinking that the couple may get married. Homer, who was away, returns to town once Emily’s cousins leave.
Homer is never seen again after he enters Emily’s home one evening. Emily also stops leaving the house and grows into a pale and plump old woman. Except for her occasional lessons in china painting, her doors stay closed. Glimpses of her are seen in her window until she dies at the age of seventy-three.
In the last part of the story, the narrator explains what exactly happened after Emily died. The women and elders of the town, along with two of Emily’s cousins, attend her service. Later on, a sealed door to a room upstairs is broken. The room is full of wedding items, and Homer’s body is lying on the bed. The pillow next to the body was used, and a single strand of Emily’s gray hair was on it – indicating that she slept with the corpse.
A Rose for Emily depicts the story of Emily, who refused to accept change and scrambled to keep things the same. It is a great read, and if you’re wondering where you can get a copy for yourself, just click here to place an order.