Townspeople In A Rose For Emily

“A Rose for Emily” In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” the role of the townspeople affected Miss Emily’s behavior towards the end of the story greatly. Instead of being friendly and helpful, they chose to gossip, isolate, and control her. The story takes place in a community where gossiping is a way of life. Living in a small town in the South, there is not much happening. To the townspeople, Miss Emily was viewed more as a social topic than an actual human being. Being talked about constantly probably started to trigger some sort of psychological insecurity in Miss Emily. In the story, it says that when she died, the men came to the funeral out of respect while the women only came because they were curious. This shows the lack of compassion and empathy they had for her and how much they truly did not care. Miss Emily most likely knew that from the start and that probably affected her mental health. Miss Emily lived most of her life in solitude. Her father was manipulative and controlling. He drove all her suitors away because he did not think they were good enough for her. When he died, Miss Emily did not develop a healthy cope mechanism. She clung to his body until the ministers and doctors persuaded her to give it up. During this time, all she needed was someone to be there for her. The townspeople were no help at all. They were
The constant control from her father and most importantly, the townspeople, affected her mentally as well. She was born into a high society family in which she was set to follow the high standards that were made for her. In the story, Miss Emily gets involved in a relationship with a man named Homer. The townspeople immediately judge her because he was seen as a commoner and a Yankee. They call her cousins to come deal with her. By taking these actions, it is clear that they treat Miss Emily like a child and want her to obey the rules of society that they have