Emily Grierson In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

A Romance to Kill for Within every society there is always a select few who are criticized or ridiculed due to their peculiar or quirky nature. As revealed in the short story, the author creates the character Emily Grierson, an odd and quirky woman who is isolated from the townspeople of Jefferson after the death of her father. Without any experience with men, she quickly takes interest in a lower class Northerner, Homer Baron, within the town, a man who is not fondly thought of. After constant disapproval and gossip, a mysterious disappearance occurs, and some time later, a rotting corpse is found in Emily’s bed. Although some argue William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” conveys a gothic tone, and others suggest the illustration of the negative

When a newer generation of tax collectors call on Emily for the first time in many years, they observe her decrepit appearance. The men note that she appears “bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue” (Faulkner 2). This descriptive language calls attention to Emily’s unwholesome appearance. Faulkner provides insight of how others see Emily as not even living, which suggests that society has completely left her to herself to waste away in her home. These men are told by Emily that she has no taxes in Jefferson due to the charity of a deceased Colonel. The critic Donald Akers notes in his article “A Rose for Emily” “She insists that the aldermen discuss the tax situation with a man who has been dead for a decade. If she is not yet a sinister character, she is certainly weird” (257). Akers supports the development of Faulkner’s character by illustrating her strange behaviors. He expands upon the idea that Emily has secluded herself from society and is unaware of the deaths that occurred during her isolation. As Jefferson modernizes, Emily refuses to acknowledge any changes and within her neighborhood “only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above wagons and gasoline pumps- an eyesore among eyesores” (Faulkner 1). Faulkner uses imagery to portray how Emily stands out from the rest of Jefferson. This is emphasized through the description of her house. An older and decaying home among newly built structures is strikingly odd, and creates a division between Emily and her society. By pronouncing it “an eyesore among eyesores” negatively portrays Emily’s home and character, which further distinguishes and separates her from the people of Jefferson. In addition to imagery, Faulkner also uses detail to highlight the effects of Emily’s