A Rose for Emily Plot Analysis

Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax,
suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.

Initial Situation

Death and Taxes

As we discuss in "Symbols, Imagery, Allegory," Faulkner might be playing on the Benjamin Franklin quote, "In this
world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes," in this initial scene. We move from a huge funeral
attended by everybody in town, to this strange little story about taxes.

Conflict

Taxes aren't the only thing that stinks.

The taxes seem tame compared to what comes next. In Section II, we learn lots of bizarre stuff about Miss Emily:
when her father died she refused to believe it (or let on she believed it) for four days (counting the day he died);
the summer after her father died, she finally gets a boyfriend (she's in her thirties); when worried that her
boyfriend might leave her, she bought some poison and her boyfriend disappeared, but there was a bad smell
around her house. We technically have enough information to figure everything out right here, but we are thrown
off by the issue of the taxes, and by the way in which facts are jumbled together.

Complication

The Town's Conscience

For this stage it might be helpful to think of this story as the town's confession. This section is what complicates
things for the town's conscience. The town was horrible to Miss Emily when she started dating Homer Barron. They
wanted to hold her to the southern lady ideals her forbearers had mapped out for her. She was finally able to
break free when her father died, but the town won't let her do it. When they can't stop her from dating Homer
themselves, they sick the cousins on her.

Climax

"For Rats"

Even though this story seems all jumbled up chronologically, the climax comes roughly in the middle of the story,
lending the story a smooth, symmetrical feel. According to Faulkner, Homer probably was a bit of a rat, one which
noble Miss Emily would have felt perfectly in the right to exterminate. Yet, she also wanted to hold tight to the
dream that she might have a normal life, with love and a family. When she sees that everybody the townspeople,
the minister, her cousins, and even Homer himself is bent on messing up her plans, she has an extreme reaction.
That's why, for us, the climax is encapsulated in the image of the skull and crossbones on the arsenic package and
the warning, "For rats."

Suspense

Deadly Gossip

As with the climax, Faulkner follows a traditional plot structure, at least in terms of the story of Emily and Homer.
Emily buys the arsenic, and at that moment the information is beamed into the brains of the townspeople. This is
one of the nastiest sections. The town is in suspense over whether they are married, soon will be, or never will be.
Their reactions range from murderous, to pitying, to downright interference. We also learn that Homer Barron was
last seen entering the residence of Miss Emily Grierson on the night in question. So, we can be in suspense about
what happened to him, though by the time we can appreciate that this is something to be suspenseful about, we
already know what happened.

Denouement

The Next 40 Years

At this point, we've already been given a rough outline of Emily's life, beginning with her funeral, going back ten
years to when the "newer generation" came to collect the taxes, and then back another thirty some odd years to
the death of Emily's father, the subsequent affair with Homer, and the disappearance of Homer. The story winds
down by filling us in on Miss Emily's goings on in the 40 years between Homer's disappearance and Emily's funeral.
Other than the painting lessons, her life during that time is a mystery, because she stayed inside.

Conclusion

The Bed, the Rotting Corpse, and the Hair

The townspeople enter the bedroom that's been locked for 40 years, only to find the rotting corpse of Homer
Barron.

A rose for Emily analysis

main character, Miss Emily is a stubborn and sheltered woman who refuses, or perhaps cannot except that the
world around her is changing. She lives in her fathers house in isolation with her Negro servant Tobe seemingly
unaffected by time. Miss Emily was raised by her father and was taught that she was of a higher class then the rest
of the town. The Griersons, once a prestigious family name, becomes part of the past and no longer holds such
resonance. She was continuously reminded that no man was good enough for her, which then led to a life without
the love of another man besides her father. Once her father dies, she refuses to come to terms with his death and
repeatedly claims that her father is still alive. Her denial of death as well as time due to her life of isolation and
warped mental state is directly related to her upbringing and sheltered lifestyle from her father. Instead of
accepting events in her life that bring change, Miss Emily is determined to force her surroundings to stay familiar.

Within this short story there are many characters that bring meaning to the plot. Along with Miss Emily and her
father the other main characters include Homer Barron, Miss Emilys servant Tobe, Colonel Sartoris, Judge Steven

Summary and Analysis: "A Rose for Emily"

Faulkner's Chronology

One way of explaining the excellence of "A Rose for Emily" is by considering its lack of chronological order. Such a
dissection of the short story initially might appear to weaken it, but this approach allows us to see Faulkner's
genius at work particularly his own, unique way of telling a story. Unlike other writers of his era, such as John
Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway, who usually narrate their stories in a strictly linear progression, Faulkner violates
all chronological sequences.

Only a few specific dates are mentioned in the story, but a close reading makes it possible to assign certain
sequential events. We know, for example, that Colonel Sartoris remits Miss Emily's taxes in 1894, and that he has
been dead for at least ten years when she confronts the new aldermen. Likewise, we know that she dies at the age
of 74. Using these facts, we can build a framework on which to hang the following chronology:

Section IV: Miss Emily is born.

Section II: She and her father ride around the town in an old, elegant carriage.

Section II: Her father dies, and for three days she refuses to acknowledge his death.

Section III: Homer Barron arrives in town and begins to court Miss Emily.

Section IV: She buys a man's silver toilet set a mirror, brush, and comb and men's clothing.

Section III: The town relegates her to disgrace and sends for her cousins.

Section IV: The cousins arrive, and Homer leaves town.

Section IV: Three days after the cousins leave, Homer returns.

Section III: Miss Emily buys poison at the local drug store.

Section IV: Homer disappears.

Section II: A horrible stench envelops Miss Emily's house.

Section II: Four town aldermen secretly sprinkle lime on her lawn.
Ironically, when we reconstruct the chronological arrangement in this linear fashion, we render Faulkner's
masterpiece an injustice: Looking at the central events chronologically, Miss Emily buys poison, Homer Barron
disappears suddenly, and a horrible stench surrounds the house it is apparent why she buys the poison, and
what causes the stench. The only surprise would be the shocking realization that Miss Emily has slept for many
years in the same bed with her dead lover's rotting corpse. The horror of this knowledge makes the murder almost
insignificant when compared to the necrophilia. However, the greatness of the story lies not in linearly recounting
the events, but, instead, in the manner that Faulkner tells it; he leaves us horrified as we discover, bit by bit, why
this so-called noble woman is now a "fallen monument."

In contrast to a traditional narrative approach, the story, as Faulkner presents it, begins with Miss Emily's funeral
and ends shortly thereafter with the discovery of Homer's decayed corpse. Among other themes, it emphasizes the
differences between the past, with its aristocracy Colonel Sartoris' gallantry, the Griersons' aloofness and pride,
and the board of old aldermen's respect for Miss Emily and the modern generation's business-like mentality,
embodied in the board of new aldermen and the many modern conveniences we hear about.

A Rose for Emily | Introduction

William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily was originally published in the April 30, 1930, issue of Forum. It was his first
short story published in a major magazine. A slightly revised version was published in two collections of his short
fiction, These 13 (1931) and Collected Stories (1950). It has been published in dozens of anthologies as well. A
Rose for Emily is the story of an eccentric spinster, Emily Grierson. An unnamed narrator details the strange
circumstances of Emilys life and her odd relationships with her father, her lover, and the town of Jefferson, and
the horrible secret she hides. The storys subtle complexities continue to inspire critics while casual readers find it
one of Faulkners most accessible works. The popularity of the story is due in no small part to its gruesome ending.

Faulkner often used short stories to flesh out the fictional kingdom of Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, for his
novels. In fact, he revised some of his short fiction to be used as chapters in those novels. A Rose for Emily takes
place in Jefferson, the county seat of Yoknapatawpha. Jefferson is a critical setting in much of Faulkners fiction.
The character of Colonel Sartoris plays a role in the story; he is also an important character in the history of
Yoknapatawpha. However, A Rose for Emily is a story that stands by itself. Faulkner himself modestly referred to
it as a ghost story, but many critics recognize it as an extraordinarily versatile work. As Frank A. Littler writes in
Notes on Mississippi Writers, A Rose for Emily has been read variously as a Gothic horror tale, a study in
abnormal psychology, an allegory of the relations between North and South, a meditation on the nature of time,
and a tragedy with Emily as a sort of tragic heroine.

A Rose for Emily Summary

The story, told in five sections, opens in section one with an unnamed narrator describing the funeral of Miss Emily
Grierson. (The narrator always refers to himself in collective pronouns; he is perceived as being the voice of the
average citizen of the town of Jefferson.) He notes that while the men attend the funeral out of obligation, the
women go primarily because no one has been inside Emilys house for years. The narrator describes what was once
a grand house set on what had once been our most select street. Emilys origins are aristocratic, but both her
house and the neighborhood it is in have deteriorated. The narrator notes that prior to her death, Emily had been
a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town. This is because Colonel Sartoris, the former mayor of the town,
remitted Emilys taxes dating from the death of her father on into perpetuity. Apparently, Emilys father left her
with nothing when he died. Colonel Sartoris invented a story explaining the remittance of Emilys taxes (it is the
towns method of paying back a loan to her father) to save her from the embarrassment of accepting charity.

The narrator uses this opportunity to segue into the first of several flashbacks in the story. The first incident he
describes takes place approximately a decade before Emilys death. A new generation of politicians takes over
Jeffersons government. They are unmoved by Colonel Sartoriss grand gesture on Emilys behalf, and they attempt
to collect taxes from her. She ignores their notices and letters. Finally, the Board of Aldermen sends a deputation
to discuss the situation with her. The men are led into a decrepit parlor by Emilys black man-servant, Tobe. The
first physical description of Emily is unflattering: she is a small, fat woman in black who looks bloated, like a
body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue. After the spokesman awkwardly explains the
reason for their visit, Emily repeatedly insists that she has no taxes in Jefferson and tells the men to see Colonel
Sartoris. The narrator notes that Colonel Sartoris has been dead at that point for almost ten years. She sends the
men away from her house with nothing.

The story, told in five sections, opens in section one with an unnamed narrator describing the funeral of Miss Emily
Grierson. (The narrator always refers to himself in collective pronouns; he is perceived as being the voice of the
average citizen of the town of Jefferson.) He notes that while the men attend the funeral out of obligation, the
women go primarily because no one has been inside Emilys house for years. The narrator describes what was once
a grand house set on what had once been our most select street. Emilys origins are aristocratic, but both her
house...