The Role Of Isolation In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

In "A Rose For Emily" William Faulkner describes Emily Grierson and her isolation. Emily lost her father, and after her fathers death, she holds on to Homer Barron and doesn't want to let him go. Her father, Homer, and the community all play part of her isolation. Emily is so stubborn and unwilling to accept change and that keeps her isolated. First of all, Emily's relationship with her father was not the best. Her father cut her off from all social contact and courtship which ruined her life, "that quality of her father which had thwarted her woman's life so many times" (Faulkner,38). She was not able to talk to guys and could not date either. So that there meant she was isolated by her father. When her father passed away and was buried, her isolation was more noticeable, "after her father's death, she went out very little" (Faulkner,34). At first Emily was not willing to accept that her father was dead, "she told them that her father was not dead" (Faulkner,36) and Emily did that for three days. After they buried her father, she was sick for a very long time and she isolated herself. In addition, Emily's relationship with Homer Barron, also contributed to Emily's isolation that Faulkner
discusses. Homer Barron was a foreman; he was a big, dark, Yankee. The community started seeing Homer and Miss Emily together. As things started to get more serious, Emily was stubborn and didn't want Homer to leave her. So she ended up killing Homer and hid him in a room upstairs which "no one had seen in forty years" (Faulkner,39). Emily just wanted Homer to herself, "She kills Homer because she feels compelled to have a man" (Evans). She did not want to leave him alone. Emily laid beside Homer on the bed, even though he was dead, "we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head" (Faulkner,40). She isolated herself with Homer in her house for a long time. Emily died in one of the rooms downstairs, "her gray head propped on a pillow yellow and moldy with age and lack of sunlight" (Faulkner,39). This shows the reason of her isolation, "Many of her actions result from her desire to stop time and resist change" (Evans). Furthermore, the community also proves the isolation of Emily and her unwillingness to accept change.
When Emily's father died, she did not have to pay taxes. Emily was left alone with only a house but no money from her father. The town felt sorry for her, only for awhile. As years went by, the newer generation wanted Miss Emily to start paying for the taxes but she refused. Some would think that she isolated herself from the community so that she wouldn't have to pay taxes. Another example is with the postal delivery, "when the town got free postal delivery, Miss Emily alone refused" (Faulkner,38). Emily seems like she did not want anything to do with the community, "she is out of touch with the reality that constantly threatens to break through her" (SparkNotes
Editors). In conclusion, all this proves that Emily was stubborn and unwilling to accept change. She isolated herself through her father, Homer, and her community.