Violence In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

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William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a short story full of mystery, gloom, terror, and a touch of violence. As Faulkner tells the story of Emily Grierson, a southern upper-class woman who was loved by her community. Until certain events occur that show warning signs of her losing touch with the real world, and the town start's to consider her a fallen monument. Emily becomes so terribly desperate for human companionship and love after the death of her father; she turns to a complete stranger Homer Barron, who is visiting Jefferson and who shows an interest in her. Emily becomes so obsessed with replacing what she had with her father; she does whatever is necessary to keep Homer with her; Emily murders the one and only person who had shown her any affection and used her status in the community to cover up the crime until the day she dies. The story begins in the present with the death of Miss Emily, and the whole town attends her funeral. The residents of Jefferson each had their reasons for attending the funeral, some out of “respect for a fallen monument” (p299), others just out of curiosity because she hadn’t appeared in public in several years and they were wondering what her home looked like inside. Her death symbolizes the passing of a generation and a particular way of life. The description of the Grierson home shows the …show more content…
Fall80, Vol. 17 Issue 4, p397. 9p. Scherting focused on Faulkner’s description of Emily’s psychotic personality and bizarre conduct. He describes the narrator as naïve because he doesn’t clearly explain the nature of Emily’s derangement or provide a motive that would resolve the mystery (p. 397). This interpretation of the story intrigued me as it dealt more with the psyche of Emily Grierson and the possible reason’s why she did what she
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