A Rose for Emily 7

A detailed Summary of A Rose for Emily 7

Power and Love in "A Rose for Emily"

One of the most frequently anthologized stories by William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily," is the remarkable story of Emily Grierson, an aging spinster in Jefferson, whose death and funeral draws the attention of the entire town, "the men through sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity." The unnamed narrator, which can be identified as "the town," in a seemingly haphazard way relates key moments in Emily's life. In this story, Faulkner discusses the struggle for power relative to love. Emily believes that power and love are synonymous.

The first part of Emily's life is spent with her father, Mr. Grierson. Two cousins visit her a while after her father's death, but otherwise no other family members are mentioned. Emily's father has great control over her actions. He has power to keep her from finding a life outside of his: "We remembered all the young men her father h

Forty years after Homer's death, Emily dies at age 74 and her secret is discovered. Tobe becomes free at the death of his master, symbolizing the release of power and its disassociation with affection. In the very last sentence, "we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair," we realize the pathetic nature of Emily's life and sympathize with her. She never experiences true love outside of the restrictive reigns of power.

After her father's death, Emily is finally able to have a romantic relationship. She has a fling with a Yankee road paver, Homer Barron. It seems, however, that she is more infatuated with the relationship than he. Emily "had been to the jeweler's and ordered a man's toilet set in silver, with the letters H. B. on each piece. . . .We [the town] said, 'They are married.'" Homer, however, remarks that "he was not the marrying type." Emily then uses the only means she knew how to hold onto her lover. She embraces power by murdering him to

Some common words found in the essay are:
Emily Grierson, Homer Barron, Forty Homer's, Tobe Negro, Rose Emily, Negro Tobe, homer barron, emily's life, father's death, relationship emily, death emily, story faulkner, power love, rose emily,

Approximate Word count = 648
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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A Rose for Emily 7

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