A Rose for Emily: the Mystery of Emily Grierson

The Mystery of Emily Grierson As remarkable a story as A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner was, the irony presented about Miss Emily's life was truly remarkable. The life and death of Emily Grierson drew a lot of attention from the entire town. Faulkner's description of the women in the town seemed to make the audience feel as if they were curious about her way of life. This short story was set in the town of Jefferson where for many years Miss Emily lived with her father. When her father passed away Faulkner described the decline in sanity Miss Emily endured. The mystery of many unanswered questions all came out following her death. The story starts by giving a lot of information on the house and town Miss Emily lived in along with the details about her life and death. When reading the story a person can tell that this is written by someone who lives in the town and knows of the family. The narrator has possibly been around for a number of years. The protagonist seems to be Emily in this story because of the chain of events she has endured leading to her mental instability. The narrator also gives information about the mental state of her family. The narrator described Emily when she started getting interested in boys by saying, "So when she got thirsty and was still single, we were not pleased exactly, but vindicated; even with insanity in the family she wouldn't have turned down all of her chances if they had really materialized" (Faulkner 93). This statement lets the audience know that the narrator has knowledge about Miss Emily's family and their past mental illnesses. The antagonist in A Rose for Emily I feel would be the mental state Miss Emily is in. It seemed that her mental and physical health seemed to decline tremendously through out the story. Emily's father died leaving Emily holding on to the only person who seemed to care for her. The story tells of how Emily's father drove young men away so all she had left was him. After her father's