A Rose for Emily by William Faulker - Book Report/Review Example

It revolves around Emily Grierson who is a young lady who lived all her life with her father. Her father was a proud man who believed that he was higher in status and superior to all the people in town, endowing the same beliefs to his daughter. The world of Emily revolved around her father and she was shattered when he died and she went into solitude. The town’s people felt sorry for her after the death of her father. They were curious about her way of living and they kept a close watch on Emily.

She again suffered a major blow when she got close to a newcomer in the town known as Homer Borron who refused to marry her. But she found out her own way to deal with the situation and poisoned him and kept him with her for thirty years. Emily’s character could be viewed from different perspectives but if seen from the feminist perspectives she could not be considered wrong. The atrocities which happened in her life changed her entirely. She was able to cope up with the death of her father, however, she was not capable enough to lose another acquaintance in her life, thus she took the drastic step.

Furthermore, her father rejected marriage offers for Emily while he was alive and this can be viewed as a great mistake done by her father. The conservative thoughts of her father led Emily to live in her own world of solitude. The refusal of Homer Barron to marry her made her more emotionally unstable. This point of the story tells how Emily reacted to the action of Homer Barron, however, it was unacceptable, but on the contrary, it was the only option left for Emily. The speculations on every move of Emily by the townspeople irritated her more but she reacted strongly.

As Emily loved living in her own world she was disturbed by the condolences brought to her by the townspeople, however, the way Emily handled these condolences was indifferent. This can be viewed as a sign of intellect and courage on her side. Emily lived her whole life in a beautiful house with her father and his beliefs and she lived with the same beliefs even after his death. She was stubborn and never paid heed to what people used to think or say about her. She did not agree with the fact that she was left alone.

The stubbornness shown by Emily is seen there only when she kills her lover just to keep him with her forever. She rejected all the ideologies of the modern world and lived by her own will. It is clearly seen in the story that Emily is against modern techniques when she rejects to have a mailbox outside her house. She believed in the past and the traditions lay down by her father and ancestors. Emily’s father can be blamed for the stubbornness found in Emily. The discrimination brought to her by her father had a negative impact on her whole life.

But the courage shown by Emily in the story can be highly acknowledged as she showed bravery to cope up with the unfairness brought to her by life.