430 Faulkner, William
Faulkner marks the major milestones in Miss
Emily’s life by the death of men important to
her—first the death of her father and then the
death of Homer Barron. Many might herald the
death of Miss Emily’s father, a man who repressed
Miss Emily for most of her childhood and young
adult life, as a welcome relief from the tyranny of
her father’s house. Yet this is not the case for Miss
Emily. Miss Emily is instead in a perpetual state of
delusion regarding the very real instances of death
that surround her. The day after her father’s death,
Miss Emily does not register any signs of grief
on her face, and, upon the arrival of townswomen
bringing condolences to the house, Miss Emily
denies the fact that her father has died at all. She
continues this denial for three days until she finally
allows the burial of the body—under the threat of
legal actions. Miss Emily’s actions upon this first
major death in her life suggest the danger of remain-
ing stuck in this first stage of grief for an extended
period, and foreshadow the irrational approach that
Miss Emily takes toward her later relationship with
Homer Barron. Miss Emily, denied so many of the
human connections that life offers, is unwilling or
unable to function in terms of everyday society.
Of course, the scene that most memorably pre-
sents the phenomenon of death and our varied reac-
tions to it is the one centered on Homer Barron’s
gruesome disappearance. The moment of revelation
comes when we find, along with the townspeople,
the long-deceased body of Homer Barron that lies
in Miss Emily’s wedding bed, assembled in a pos-
ture of affection. The plot of the text finally comes
together as we realize that Miss Emily likely poi-
soned Homer and has since lain with the dead body
as though every night was their wedding night. Yet
this instance of death brings forth so many more
questions than it answers, not least of which is the
question of why Miss Emily decided to kill Homer
Barron at all. Why would Miss Emily, so unwill-
ing to accept the death of her father, the only man
previously in her life, prematurely take the life of a
man she loved?
Death functions within this tale in several dif-
ferent ways. It iterates the human preoccupation we
have with denying death at all costs, even in the face
of inescapable evidence. The assembled scenes also
highlight the many questions that we have about
death, life, and the inner workings of an individual
mind. Many readers find the gothic scene Faulkner
creates here to be incomprehensible in several ways,
especially concerning what it might suggest about
human life and death. Yet Faulkner’s tale also reveals
much about the ways in which we are fascinated by
the cycle of life and our responses to it, and makes
interesting commentary about the complex role that
death plays in how we understand life and each
other.
Jennifer SmithSocial claSS in “A Rose for Emily”
“A Rose for Emily” highlights the ways in which
human beings function in socially stratified com-
munities, commenting on the social mores that
class depends upon as well as the psychological and
sociological consequences such hierarchies inspire.
Though many highlight the individual psychologi-
cal dementia of Miss Emily as the generative force
behind Faulkner’s dismal ending, failure to consider
the social implications of this ending leads only to a
very flat understanding of the tale. The plural narra-
tor establishes Miss Emily at the outset of the tale to
be a figure of social esteem within the community of
Jefferson. Indeed, in the first line, the narrator refers
to the late Miss Emily as a “fallen monument”—a
term that well describes the role that she fulfilled in
this stratified society. Yet Faulkner does not just rest
in establishing the different social classes that exist
in Jefferson; he also makes artful commentary on
the ways that such societal standards come into play
through the hopes and feelings that inhabitants of a
given community might have toward one another.
Miss Emily is one of the last holdouts of a gen-
trified society—and the narrator constantly remarks
upon this fact through his characterizations of her.
Upon Miss Emily’s entrance into a room, men rise.
The town leaders hold special tax meetings in order
to discuss Miss Emily’s unique case, and, ultimately,
make an exception to customarily rigid tax laws for
the sake of Miss Emily’s honor. Honorable men
of the town prowl about like burglars outside of
her house, sprinkling lime rather than risking the
embarrassment of having to suggest to Miss Emily
that her property stinks. It is clear that Miss Emily