A Rose for Emily

A Rose for Emily is written in the third person. The narrator is one of the neighborhood women.I think the way that the story is written and not in chronological order is confusing at first but in the end I can see why the author did it. It showed the progression of Emily's life and it painted a picture of how unhappy she seemed. Growing up and being alone really took a toll on her life and it explained why she could never let go of people or things. All of the towns people had a large interest in her life. She was different from everyone else and it intrigued them. Her life was taboo for the time because she lived with her father and she never married. In this time women were typically married at an early age and Emily never did this. The tone is dark and mysterious because the narrator really doesn't know anything about what really happens behind closed doors at Emily's house until she dies. I assume that because Emily meets a man, Homer, and they begin to start seeing each other but things don't work out, Emily is ashamed. She seems to be a very prideful person and when it comes out that Homer is a homosexual she murders him. Instead of being left again, she turns to murder so she can always keep him and not be shamed again.