A Rose for Emily: Demonstrate of Homer as the Victim

Emily is clearly a villain in the short story, “A Rose for Emily.” Although much of her character came from her father’s abuse, she remains responsible for her actions. In the story, Emily is obsessed with avoiding change. She is a symbol of the old South, and clearly represents the few traditionalists following the Civil War. The traditionalists are clearly the villains in the South, because they will not let go of the negative past of slavery, as Emily is in “A Rose for Emily”, because she will not let go of her negative past. She refuses to let go of the changes she is faced with, for example the death of her father and the idea of not being with Homer forever bring her to unleash her inner anger. Consequently, due to her lack of allowing change, she develops villain behaviors. Her lack of wanting change does not call for her insane actions, nor make her a victim. Emily knows that Homer will not marry her; therefore she turns to killing him so that she can be with him forever. She refuses to let him go, which makes her only a victim of herself, thus a villain. The murder was undoubtedly premeditated because she planned the death of Homer by going to the store to purchase arsenic. When the pharmacists asked her what it was for, she refused to tell. If she was a victim she would not have a problem explaining the circumstances. Since she did not tell she knew that what she was doing was wrong, which makes her a villain. Emily uses the death of Homer for her own pleasure. She believes that trapping his dead body, as well as her father’s dead body will ease her loneliness. This selfish act shows she has no concern for others. This, again, demonstrates that Homer is the only victim in this