Literary Analysis: “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner In William Faulkner’s story “A Rose for Emily,” the rose symbolizes many things from love, to hate, to revenge, and her feeling of being neglected. Emily is living a sad life. When she is growing up her father isolates her, and after his death, she is still sad and miserable. Her father leaves her alone, completely alone, and “a pauper, she had become humanized.” The greatest thing that a rose can symbolize is love, and Emily finds her “sweetheart” when the city contracts for the sidewalks to be paved one year after her father’s death. Even though the women in the town can only say “poor Emily,” at this single point in her life Emily is happy, but as soon as Emily’s life seems to move forward where she can be happy and love somebody, the thorns of the rose appear, and Emily’s life starts to shred. Emily, believing that Homer will marry her, finds the horrible truth that “he is not a marrying man.” Homer likes men and a life of drinking at the Elk’s Club, and again the town people say “poor Emily” when Homer leaves.
Emily feels a hatred toward Homer for humiliating her. As expected by the town, Homer returns within three days. Emily wants revenge as the thorns of the rose appear inside her. She wants Homer to be with her for the rest of her life, so Emily’s solution is to kill Homer. She dresses him in an outfit she has bought him, and Emily lies him on the bed feeling that Homer will now always be with her. The final symbolization of the rose is neglect.
The Review on Miss Emily Faulkner Homer Rose
... a husband, her life will have no meaning' ("A Rose for Emily 1). It is noted by Daniel Akers that "Homer himself may not ... The foreman of the company was Homer Barron. The town then begins to see him and Miss Emily on Sunday afternoons together. Michael ... love and to have a husband and a family'' (210). It is later gossiped that Miss Emily had bought arsenic, and the town ...
Emily feels neglected by Homer, so she closes her front door forever to be with Homer and to wilt and die. The rose creates a great metaphor when comparing it to Emily’s life. The title fits almost perfectly, but “The Rose in Emily” is more appropriate. This is a more becoming title because Emily’s life starts out closed with her father then opens with Homer only to quickly wilt and crumble. Even though most of Emily’s life is filled with the thorn of the rose, the few red moments that she has will last for eternity because a rose might die, but
