English Comp II: William Faulkner A Rose for Emily

A Rose for Emily is a very interesting story. The story, which is divided into five parts, begins with the funeral of Emily Grierson. The whole town attends her funeral, but not because she was a socialite of the town, but because the men went out of obligation and the women, many of whom had not been in her house in years, or for that matter at all, were curious as to what her house looked like. We also see some of Emily's background in the first section when we are told that she has to pay no taxes because the former mayor of the town feels sorry for her because when Emily's father died he left her penniless. Later on in the story we see that she causes quite the scandal by having an affair with a man named Homer Barron. The women of the town become upset by this affair, and try numerous times to convince Emily to marry Homer or break off the affair; she does neither, and eventually her cousins are sent for to try to convince her to marry Homer. Homer leaves for a few days, but returns after Emily's cousins leave. After returning to Emily's home, Homer is never seen again. The story ends with the narrator returning to Emily's funeral. After the funeral is over, some of the town's men force her upstairs open, for it seems that she had closed the top floor of her house off. Upon doing this, they find the remains of the long deceased Homer. I would recommend this story for anyone as it is a very intriguing read.