A Rose for Emily: Love’s Tragedy

Love’s Tragedy A story requires two simple components: action and characters to drive the action. The way either element is presented is purely the decision of the author. The best stories make readers feel that they know the characters, so much so that the characters become real to the readers. This is the case in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”. Faulkner does an impeccable job of introducing readers to Miss Emily, and through her actions he makes it clear what kind of person she is and why she is that way. Miss Emily is the result of the overkill of love’s protection, thus making her a proud, commanding, and lonely woman. The post-Civil War South was a world completely different from modern times. Expectations of how to act and how to represent one’s family were held in much higher regard. One of the chief traits of a southerner is pride, and Miss Emily was in no way lacking this trait. Her pride would have gotten the best of her if her fellow townspeople had not recognized her needs. Even after her father’s death, when everyone knew there was no way she could afford to pay taxes, Miss Emily would have refused to have her taxes exempted out of charity, so a story went along with her exemption. Faulkner explains, “Not that Miss Emily would have accepted charity. Colonel Sartoris invented an involved tale to the effect that Miss Emily’s father had loaned money to the town, which the town, as a matter of business, preferred this way of repaying” (Faulkner 79). Because of her pride, Miss Emily also felt she must be strong despite being left alone in the world. “She carried her head high enough—even when we believed that she was fallen. It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness” (Faulkner 82). She was determined to never let her problems show; she was a strong southern woman, and she could make it through life alone. Her strength

Cited: Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily”. DiYanni, Robert. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2007. 79-84.