Emily’s Life-Changing Decisions

In William Faulkner’s a “A Rose for Emily” the narrator tells the story of a desperate, eccentric and secluded woman named Emily Grierson. Her manipulative father’s denial and control became the only form of love she knew. Causing her to make numerous negative life altering decisions; Miss Emily refuses to embrace the changes the town’s people are implementing. Emily makes her own logic of law and conduct, her dismissal of the law eventually brings on a sinister twist to the story. Following her own set of rules in which it is acceptable to take the life of the man, to keep him by her side.

Miss Emily decides to evade the law by refusing to have numbers placed on her house when federal mail service is established. She also refused to pay the tax bill; even after the city authorities pay her a visit to inquire about the bill. Emily’s response to their visit is “I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained it to me…” (31). Despite the fact that Colonel Sartoris has been dead for over a decade. She was not going to pay the bill no matter what the city authorities said. After saying the few words she had to say she quickly yells “Tobe! Show these gentlemen out” (31). As usual her wishes are commands, the men vacate the property and that is the end of that problem. Miss Emily has become accustomed to getting her way and this case is not the exception. These actions cause her to become more mysterious and alienate her more from town’s people that already believe Grierson’s think too highly of them selves considering she is already regarded by the towns people to be “… a tradition, a duty, and a care: a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town” (30).

At the age of thirty Mr. Grierson perished leaving Emily still single...

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...rd, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair” (35). This statement makes be think she suffered of necrophilia, meaning a person has a sexual or emotional attraction to the dead.

As we can see in the story Emily Grierson was repressed and manipulated by her father throughout her life until he dies when Emily is thirty. Leaving her to grieve the only way she knows how to, by controlling her surroundings. For this reason she creates her own set of rules in which it is acceptable reject laws and even infringe upon her lovers right to live. Emily’s controlling personality affected every aspect of her life.

Work Cited

Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction,

Poetry, Drama and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 11th ed.

New York: Longman, 2010. 29-35. Print.