SSRJ #1 & Comments

My initial reaction to A Rose for Emily was shock mixed with a little confusion. It took some going back and reading for me to fully understand the whole short story.

            Through the use of compelling irony, Faulkner revealed his interpretation of the desperation of women looking for love. Faulkner writes about Emily’s early life with her father before he died. She lived a life where he ruled her and everything she did, even when it came to courting a husband. So when he died, and she lost the only man she ever loved, she was in ruins. After meeting Homer Barron and feeling love for a man again, Emily was ready to get married and start a family. But when she learned Homer was leaving her, she couldn’t bear losing another chance at love and family. So instead of letting him go as expected, she murdered him and kept his deceased body, which she slept next to for some time, until the day of her death. In a sense, she wanted to control the situation instead of just letting love walk out the door, as it happened with her father.

            This story was a little confusing to me, I understand the whole concept of the story, but the question that still liners in my mind is the relevance of the tax situation told in the beginning of the story.

Comments:

I was right there with you with the whole tax story. But after rereading a few times, I think the relevance of it was to foreshadow how she didn't want anything in her life to change, since her family was wealthy, taxes probably didn't apply to them, and also showing that when homer tried to leave and change her life for the worse, she killed him and kept him in her life.

I agree with your analysis. Emily was feasted after her father's death and hadn't felt love again until sheet homer barron came into the picture and she felt love again, she did the only thing she could do to keep herself from feeling the heartache of lost love again, by killing him and hat prong his body in her house.

You're response was very well put. But in my opinion, I do believe that Emily's father's treatment of her did contribute to her isolation status and the ending result of her relationship with homer. She didn't know how to effectively communicate with the outside world.

Just like you, I questioned the exact same thing. Faulkner makes it almost impossible to tell who's narrating. But from the point of view, the way he or she knew everything that happened, I don't think it could've been a towns person.

I definitely agree with what you're saying. Stereotyping is stronger than ever in our society and it needs to stop. However, in Emily's case where she refused to let others into her life and to open up, it's hard to not stereotype. But bottom line is, no one should be judged before having a conversation with them.