A rose for Emily is an intriguing tale of a woman who gets away with murder in the post Civil War American south, due to the nostalgia in the town in which she lives. The south is depicted in many stories of Faulkner as a region where "reality and myth are difficult to separate." Many southerners would not accept that their conditions had changed, though they had to realize that the old days were gone. They clung to their past, and in attempting to preserve the glory of the South people held fast to old values, failed customs, and the stagnant representatives of the past. Miss Emily was one of those representatives.
In the story, Faulkner's narrator is portrayed as a general consensus of the town's folk. The reader is immediately involved in the story since he first re-tells what actually happened and then adds the interpretations and assumptions of the towns folk on the events transpired.
English: Emily Rose
English: Emily Rose
Film poster for The Exorcism of Emily Rose - Copyr...The varied perspective the reader receives invites the reader to draw their own conclusions from a somewhat objective point of view.
The character of Miss Emily is brought into the spotlight around same time as her father death. Since she is the last remaining member of the prominent Grierson family, she becomes the new spokesperson for the glory times. Her father's death also signifies that Emily's secret is taken with her to the grave. The first indication of Miss Emily's insanity occurs around this time. When the town's folk come to offer their condolence, Miss Emily acts as if nothing has happened. She does not comprehend the fact that her father has died, and tries to keep his body. Despite her peculiar behavior, nobody questions her. She was of the coveted Grierson bloodline and thus they all assume this was a proper and...