William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” tells a story of a young woman who is violated by her father’s strict mentality. After being the only man in her life Emily’s father dies and she finds it hard to let go. Like her father Emily possesses a stubborn outlook towards life, and she refused to change. While having this attitude about life Emily practically secluded herself from society for the remainder of her life. She was alone for the very first time and her reaction to this situation was solitude.
This story takes place throughout the Reconstruction Era from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s in Jefferson, Mississippi. Emily was raised in the period before the Civil War. Her father who was the only person in her life with the exception of a former lover who soon left her as well raised her. The plot of this story is mainly about Miss Emily’s attitude about change. While growing up Emily was raised in a comfortable environment because her father possessed a lot of money.
Considering that her father was a very wealthy person who occasionally loaned the town money Emily had everything a child could want. This caused Emily to be very spoiled and selfish and she never knew the value of a dollar until her father left her with othing but a run down home that started to decay after a period of time. She began to ignore the surrounding decay of the house and her appearance. These lies continued as she denied her father’s death, refused to pay taxes, ignores town gossip about her being a fallen woman, and does not tell the druggist why she purchased rat poison.
Her life, like the decaying house suffered from a lack of genuine love and care. Her physical appearance is brought about by years of neglect. As time went on pieces from Emily started to drift away and also the home that she confined herself to. The town grew a great deal of ympathy towards Emily, although she never hears it. She was slightly aware of the faint whispers that began when her presence was near. Gossip and whispers may have been the cause of her hideous behavior. The town couldn’t wait to pity Ms.
Emily because of the way she looked down on people because she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and she never thought she would be alone the way her father left her. Miss Emily might have stayed out of the public eye after the two deaths because she was finally alone, something she in her petty life was not use to. Emily’s father never left her alone and when he ied Homer Barron was a treat that she was never allowed to have. He later died and left her and she was completely alone after that.
After her fathers death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all. ( ) With this dilemma she isolates herself from civilization, using her butler, Tobe to run her errands. Miss Emily cannot except the fact that times are changing and society is growing. Maybe Miss Emily is shy about her old fashioned beliefs. If no one was to observe her then no one could force her to change. Emily had been through much and has seen many generations grow efore and around her. This brings reason to her strong Confederate beliefs.
Miss Emily refused to allow modern change into her depressed life. For example when she refused to let the newer generation fasten metal numbers above her door and attach a mailbox when Jefferson got free mail service. This reflects Emily’s stubborn persona caused by her father’s treatment when she was young. “A Rose for Emily is told through the eyes of the townspeople. William Faulkner expressed a lot of the resident’s opinions towards Emily and her family’s history. They mentioned old lady Wyatt, her great aunt who had gone completely mad.
