The narrative structure of the piece is interesting in that it does not follow a typical chronological order. The details of the story are revealed slowly by Faulkner as he allows the sense of suspicion to grow before revealing the murder of the Homer Barron by Emily.

The narrator begins his chronology with the funereal of Emily. The narrator is not named and whilst seeming omniscient in his knowledge of events is clearly identified as a member of the community which surrounds Emily. The use of the pronoun "we" when referring to the townsfolk, as in:

The narrator moves from the funeral back in time to the occasion when the City Authorities attempt to revoke her tax exempt status. The narrative then flows backwards and forwards through time revealing significant details of Emily's life and preparing the reader for the shock of Homer's murder. The narrative is also s

Faulkner's narrative uses the story of Emily Grierson to examine the working of the local community. The townsfolk seem to obey a sort of hierarchy within which Emily is highly placed. Both the city authorities and the minister are shown to be subservient to her at different times in the story. Emily is identified as an object of furious gossip, her courtship of Homer being of considerable interest to the townspeople. It is as if her story were a legend passed on through generations. This corresponds with the chronological shift as the reader is guided to different parts in Emily's life. The details of the legend are collected in a series of incidents which build a picture of the events surrounding Homer's death.

In many respects Emily's story characterises the whole of southern society at the time. Frequently Faulkner makes reference to the Civil war and the profound effect it had on southern society is alluded to at points in the text. I feel it is significant that Homer Barron is described as a "Yankee" from the north which defeated the south. It is another example of Emily's belief that she is better than the society which she inhabits. In many ways the story reveals a form of corruption under the exterior of southern life. He reveals a world of hushed voices and shadows in which Emily's actions have always been scrutinised.

Throughout the piece Faulkner offers the reader images of Decay as generations succeed each other. Both Emily and her house are shown as decayed as if the great lie that has lain undiscovered in her bed has infected the house. Even the duplicitous Gardener's voice is described as having:-

In many respects Emily's story characterises the whole of southern society at the time. Frequently Faulkner makes reference to the Civil war and the profound effect it had on southern society is alluded to at points in the text. I feel it is significant that Homer Barron is described as a "Yankee" from the north which defeated the south. It is another example of Emily's belief that she is better than the society which she inhabits. In many ways the story reveals a form of corruption under the exterior of southern life. He reveals a world of hushed voices and shadows in which Emily's actions have always been scrutinised.

It is like an old disused mechanism which is decayed with age. These images of decay reach their pinnacle with the gruesome corpse of Homer dressed for bed.

Another event which foreshadows the demise of Homer is the death of Emily's father. Emily's reluctance to give up the body of her father mirrors the death of Homer. Her refusal to accept the reality of his death is another example of Emily's fear of the passage of time.

I found "A Rose for Emily" to be a rewarding piece. I found the manner in which it is written and its confused chronology add to its menace and give it the characteristics of a well told myth. The way in which Faulkner represents the way in which time destroys is particularly effective. He seems to use the events of the story to place the whole of southern society under the microscope

Some common words found in the essay are:
City Authorities, Homer Barron's, Homer Barron, HIF Faulkner, Emily Grierson, Rose Emily, Barron Emily, Emily Grierson's, Frequently Faulkner, Miss Emily's, southern society, pg 427 hif, emily's reluctance, 427 hif, example emily's, homer barron, emily narrator, images decay, emily's life, pg 427, city authorities, emily identified object, story emily identified, times story emily, subservient times story,
Approximate Word count = 4885
Approximate Pages = 20 (250 words per page double spaced)