READING

REPORT
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“Rose for Emily”
By William Faulkner

Submitted by:
Kenzyl Zia B. Camello
10- SHAKESPEARE
Submitted to:
Mrs. Frayamae Montes
15 Difficult Words:
Arsenic - a highly poisonous metallic element.
Macabre - disturbing and horrifying because of
involvement with or depiction of death and injury.
Austere - severe or strict in manner, attitude, or
appearance.
Vindicated - cleared of blame or suspicion.
Virulent - extremely severe or harmful in its effects.
Mausoleum - a building, especially a large and stately
one, housing a tomb or tombs.
Inextricable - impossible to disentangle or separate.
Coquettish - behaving in such a way as to suggest a
playful sexual attraction.
Stoically - without showing emotion or feeling,
especially in response to pain or hardship.
Boudoir - a woman's private sitting room, dressing
room, or bedroom.
Pallid - pale, typically because of poor health.
Acrid - having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant
taste or smell.
Virulence - the severity or harmfulness of a disease or
poison.
Whiff - a smell that is only smelled briefly or faintly.
Pervade - to spread through and be perceived in every
part of.

Characters of the story:

The Narrator - Unnamed. A presumed townsperson who
watches the events of Emily's life unfold in its entirety. The
story is presented to the reader in a non-chronological
order; this suggests that the story may have been patched
together by multiple tellers. Some parts of the story are
repeated, such as Homer's disappearance, the idea that
Emily and Homer will get married, and Emily's refusal to
pay taxes, also indicating that the narrator is a voice for
the town.
Emily Grierson - The main character of the story. Her
struggle with loss and attachment serves as the catalyst for
the plot, leading her to kill Homer Barron, the man who is
thought to have married her, because her father forbade
her from seeing suitors and restricted her social life,
keeping her alone until his death at the age of thirty. Since
she believes that this is the only way to keep Homer with
her forever, she poisons and kills him. She continues to
treat him as if he were still alive, as evidenced by the fact
that she keeps his clothes in the room, his engraved
wedding rings on the dresser, and the hair strand that was
discovered next to his corpse at the conclusion of the story,
which suggested she may have even slept next to him.
Homer Barron - Emily's romantic interest. He is later
found dead and decomposed in Emily's bedroom after her
funeral. He initially enters the story as a foreman for a road
construction project occurring in the town. He is soon seen
to be with Emily in her Sunday carriage rides, and it is
expected for them to be married. Because he is from the
North, Homer is not like the other residents of the town.
Although Homer is not particularly unwanted in the town,
he does stand out in this South soon after the Civil War.
This distinguishes him from all of the other characters in
the narrative, as does the fact that he appears to be
courting Emily. Emily finds herself drawn to him because
he is an anomaly. Emily has romantic feelings for Homer,
but it's unclear if he feels the same way. The story implies
that Homer enjoys men but is "not the marrying kind" and
struggles with commitment.
Colonel Sartoris - The former mayor responsible for
sending Emily's taxes. Although he doesn't appear much in
the narrative, his choice to waive Emily's taxes causes her
to never pay them again, which feeds into her obstinate
nature. Sartoris told Emily that her father had lent the
money to the town, but he never explained why he was
sending her taxes back.
Mr. Grierson - Emily's father, the patriarchal head of the
Grierson household. Emily's personal life was under his
control, so she was not allowed to be romantically involved.
The narrative doesn't address his refusal to allow Emily to
court men. For whatever reason, Emily's personality is
shaped by Mr. Grierson. She kills Homer Barron, the first
man she is attracted to and can be with, in order to keep
him in her life permanently because of his decision to
forbid all men from her life.
The cousins - Emily's Alabama-based extended family.
During Emily's courtship of Homer Barron, they visit the
town to see how Emily is doing. The residents of the town
consider them to be even more stiff and stuffy than Emily.
They are called in to stop Emily and Homer from getting
married, but they are then dismissed so the two can get
hitched. Since the cousins live far away from Emily and
didn't show up for Emily's father's funeral, there is
conjecture that there may be a disagreement of some kind
between Emily and the cousins.
Tobe - Emily's gardener/cook, who also serves as her
family's personal assistant. Throughout Emily's life, Tobe
was devoted to her and fiercely protected her privacy. He
gave the villagers no information about her life during the
years she was alone. Shortly after her death, he vanishes
without explanation. Emily grew fat and immobile, and he
grew old and stooped from all his work
Summary of events in chronological order (plot):
The story opens with a brief fourth-person account of the funeral of
Emily Grierson, an elderly Southern woman whose funeral is the
obligation of the town. It then proceeds in a non-linear fashion to the
narrator's recollections of Emily's archaic, and increasingly strange,
behavior throughout the years. Emily comes from a Southern aristocratic
antebellum family. The family experiences hardships following the Civil
War. The last two surviving members of that family branch were her and
her father. Emily's father forbade her from getting married. Emily is
shocked when her father passes away when she is approximately thirty
years old. She insists he's not dead and won't give up his corpse for
several days. The villagers dismiss it as part of her grieving process. In
addition to feeling sorry for Emily, they also lament her father's refusal to
let her get married. Emily was very dependent on her father and thought
he would always be there for her.
Tobe, Emily's black butler, is the only person visible moving around her
house following her father's passing. He comes and goes from the house
a lot to get groceries. The reclusive Emily did not have a close
relationship with the town, but up until the age of forty, she taught
young children art. Because she was running out of money, she did this.
Emily comes to terms with her father's passing, even changing the way
her hair is styled, and makes friends with Homer Barron, a Northern
laborer who moves to the town soon after Mr. Grierson passes away.
Some members of the community are taken aback by the connection,
while others are appreciative of her interest. The fact that Homer "liked
men, and it was known that he drank with younger men at the Elk's
Club that he was not a marrying man" does, however, highlight his
sexuality, though it is impossible to pinpoint exactly what this means.
Emily purchases arsenic from the local druggist, but she doesn't specify
why, leading him to believe it's to kill rats. There are townspeople who
firmly believe she'll use it to poison herself. The minister's wife calls
Emily's distant cousins into town to keep an eye on Miss Emily and
Homer Barron. Emily is spotted in town purchasing gifts for Homer's
wedding, such as a set of monogrammed toilet paper. Homer leaves town
for some time reputedly to give Emily a chance to get rid of her cousins,
and returns three days later after the cousins have left. After he is
observed entering Miss Emily's home one evening, Homer is never seen
again, leading the townsfolk to believe he ran off. Three days after the
cousins have left, Homer returns to the town after a brief absence,
ostensibly to give Emily time to get rid of them. Homer disappears from
view after being seen one evening entering Miss Emily's house, leaving
the villagers to assume he ran away. Years later, when the next
generation has come to power, Emily insists on maintaining this informal
arrangement, flatly denying she owes any taxes, stating "I have no taxes
in Jefferson. After this, the council declines to press the issue due to her
obduracy. Emily has become a recluse: she is never seen outside of the
house, and only rarely accepts people into it. The community eventually
comes to view her as a "hereditary obligation" on the town, who must be
humored and tolerated. The funeral is a large affair: Emily had become
an institution, so her death sparks a great deal of curiosity about her
reclusive nature and what remains of her house. After she is buried, a
group of townsfolk enters her house to see what remains of her life there.
Tobe walked out of the house and was never seen again, giving the
townspeople access to Miss Emily's home. The door to her upstairs
bedroom is locked. Some of the townsfolk break down the door to see
what has been hidden for so long. Inside, among the gifts that Emily had
bought for Homer, lies the decomposed corpse of Homer Barron on the
bed. On the pillow beside him is the indentation of a head and a single
strand of gray hair, indicating that Emily had slept with Homer's corpse.
The house is an indicator revealing how Emily struggled to keep
everything the same, in a frozen time period, avoiding change.

Theme of the story:

The narrative focuses on themes of resistance to change and death. It
also illustrates how the South's social values deteriorated in the 1930s.
For the first thirty years of her life, Emily Grierson was ruled by her
domineering father, and she had never questioned it. Emily's refusal to
bury her father's body after he passed away is evidence of her denial and
her incapacity to adjust to life's changes. Miss Emily refuses to pay the
taxes for which she had been exempt and stays in her home when the
current mayor and aldermen make this demand. It's unclear if Miss
Emily's acts of resistance are deliberate acts of defiance or the product of
deteriorating mental stability given her obstinate insistence that she
"pays no taxes in Jefferson" and her confusion over the new mayor for
Colonel Sartoris. Emily is only shown to the reader from the outside; we
are unable to determine whether or not she behaves rationally. If
Homer's death is to be considered a murder, it must be understood
within the framework of the north-south conflict. Notably a native of the
North, Homer is not fond of the custom of marriage. Given the theory
that Emily killed him rather than having an accident, Homer's decision
to call off the marriage can be interpreted as the North's rejection of
Southern customs. The South ends its relations with the North in
retaliation. Emily continuing to sleep next to Homer's body can be seen
as the south holding on to an ideal that is no longer feasible.

Purpose of the story:

To examine the effects of isolation on an individual's
psyche. Emily's seclusion from the community leads to
her mental and emotional deterioration. The narrative
unfolds in a non-linear fashion, revealing key events in
Emily's life that contribute to her ultimate state of
solitude and alienation. It also serves as a commentary
on the Southern Gothic tradition, exploring the dark
and mysterious aspects of the human experience
within the context of a changing Southern society.
Moral lesson and its application to your life:
Is the destructive nature of clinging to the past and
resisting change. Emily Grierson is portrayed as a
character who is unable to adapt to the evolving social
and cultural landscape around her. Her refusal to
accept the changing world leads to her isolation and
ultimately tragic circumstances. The story also reflects
on the consequences of societal expectations and the
pressure to conform. Emily's actions are influenced by
the expectations placed upon her by the community,
as well as her desire to maintain the family's prestige.
This pressure contributes to her loneliness and
unconventional behavior.
Application to Life:
"A Rose for Emily" might encourage reflection on the
importance of embracing change and letting go of the
past. It suggests that clinging too tightly to traditions
or resisting progress can have negative consequences
on one's well-being and relationships. Additionally, it
prompts consideration of the impact of societal
expectations on individual choices and the potential
consequences of conforming blindly to those
expectations.