33 pages • 1 hour read
William FaulknerA Rose for Emily
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1930A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Reconstruction Era and the Decline of the Old South
“A Rose for Emily” is set in the fictional town of Jefferson (based on Faulkner’s hometown of Oxford, Mississippi), which serves as a microcosm of the larger South. Faulkner portrays Jefferson as a place that strives for progressive change yet is stuck in the past. Unable to adapt to the challenges of Reconstruction, the older Southern characters struggle to come to terms with its decline.
One of the ways in which the story explores this theme is through the Grierson family, especially Emily, the last surviving member. Emily, who was raised by her domineering father, is a relic of the prewar South. She is unable to let go of her family’s heritage and clings to the traditions and values of a bygone era. Her refusal to allow the town to put up a mailbox is representative of her resistance to the modernization that characterized Reconstruction. Her transition over the course of the story—from a “slender figure in white” (51) as a young woman to “a small, fat woman in black” (49) in her old age—reflects the decay of the Southern aristocracy. Her family was once one of the most prominent in the Old South, but the violence of the Civil War and her father’s death result in Emily’s isolation in the decaying family home.
The decline of the American South is also explored through the character of Homer Barron. Homer is a powerful symbol of Reconstruction. He is a man who comes from the North as part of a construction crew modernizing Jefferson. Homer’s loud, flashy attitude is representative of the new world that is encroaching upon the South. Although Emily is drawn to Homer and tries to live her life with him, she is unable to integrate him into the world she has created for herself. Emily’s murder of Homer and her treatment of his body after death reflects the tension between the Southern aristocracy and the forces of progress in the Reconstruction era.
Finally, the silent presence of Black servants throughout the story suggests an interest in the legacies of slavery and racism in the years following the Civil War. Significantly, although Tobe is an essential link between Emily and the people of Jefferson, Emily is the only character who refers to him by name. The townspeople who narrate the story only refer to him as “the old [Black man]” (48). Tobe’s silent presence throughout Emily’s life is a reminder of the integral roles Black people have taken in Southern society throughout history and the complex social structures that kept Black laborers connected to white families long after the end of slavery.
Challenging Early 20th-Century Southern Gender Roles
The expectations and limitations of gender are both challenged and reinforced in the characters of Emily and Homer. Emily is destroyed by her inability to conform to the expectations of her gender and class, while Homer is punished for his willingness to flout the norms of Southern society.
Like other women of her time, Emily is expected to conform to certain expectations of femininity, such as being submissive and obedient to men. Her father, a patriarchal figure, controls her life and keeps her sheltered from the outside world. Emily is not allowed to make decisions for herself or have any agency in her life. This is exemplified by her father’s insistence that “none of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily” (51), denying her the opportunity to find a partner and get married. As a result, she stays in her father’s shadow, “a slender figure in white in the background” (51) of his life. Emily continues to struggle with gendered expectations after her father’s death. As a member of a prominent family in the town, she is expected to maintain the family’s reputation and honor. Her relationship with Homer Barron is representative of this tension.
However, Emily’s antisocial position also gives her a unique power. The townspeople are free to gossip about her behind her back, but people like the druggist are afraid to confront her for fear of puncturing their own deeply held myths. Faulkner demonstrates this fear in the druggist’s reaction to Emily’s request: “Miss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic and wrapped it up” (54). Although she originally ignores the town’s active objections to her relationship with Homer Barron, she nevertheless kills him rather than admitting their relationship has ended, fearing that it will tarnish the family’s reputation.
Homer embodies a type of masculinity that challenges traditional gender expectations. He is a rough, boisterous, and independent man who is not interested in settling down. This characterization stands in stark contrast to the traditional Southern male archetype, which values chivalry, honor, and patriarchal authority. The text also suggests that Homer is gay. Homer’s sexuality represents a further deviation from the traditional ideas of masculinity and heteronormativity, which were central to Southern culture at the time.
Ultimately, both Emily and Homer are punished for their attempts to challenge gender expectations. Emily’s refusal—or inability—to enter into a suitable marriage leaves her isolated from the rest of the town, leading to her mental and physical decline. The town’s disdain for Homer means that they don’t investigate his disappearance, even though Emily is seen buying rat poison. Because they cannot fully conform to gender expectations, both Emily and Homer never fully integrate into the community.
The Dangers of Social Isolation
Emily Grierson’s life story warns against the dangers of social isolation, suggesting that a lack of community can lead to the deterioration of an individual’s mental and emotional wellbeing. From the beginning of the story, Emily is a reclusive figure who shuts herself off from the rest of the town. When her father dies, for example, Emily refuses to alert the community or allow them to mourn his loss: “She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days” (52). As the story progresses, Emily’s isolation only grows more profound, and she extricates herself from the Jefferson community. She refuses to pay taxes, update her house, or interact with her neighbors. The narrator suggests that this isolation takes a toll on Emily’s mental health. She becomes increasingly detached from reality, living in a world of her own creation that is eventually disconnected from the reality of the town.
This disconnect from reality is evident in Emily’s relationship with Homer Barron. Emily sees Homer as a way to escape her loneliness. However, their expected marriage never comes to fruition. Rather than let Homer leave, Emily poisons her lover with arsenic and keeps his decaying body in her home. Homer’s death is the result of Emily’s declining mental health, which is itself a result of her isolation. Emily’s abuse of Homer’s body is similarly the result of her profound loneliness and social isolation. The people of Jefferson are curious about Emily but too afraid to confront her. This fear—and the town’s inaction—allows her to continue with her destructive behavior unchecked.
Emily’s seclusion leads to her downfall. The narrator describes her in death as a metaphorical “fallen monument” (47) and notes that “her skeleton was small and spare” (49) at the time of her death. This description emphasizes the toll that her isolation has taken on her physical and mental health. Emily’s isolation is a symbol of the larger societal issues facing the South during Reconstruction. The tension between white and Black residents, as well as the resistance to change and the maintenance of power structures, led to a culture of isolation and mistrust. In this way, Emily’s personal struggles function as a microcosm of the larger issues facing the South during this period.
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