“A Rose for Emily”
written by American author William Faulkner.
Because the entire tale is unclear and baffling, I actually appreciated the short story because it made me think about a lot of topics. Because of the title, I assumed the novel would be about romance. However, as I read the novel, I realized it was taking another path. The first thing that puzzled me while reading the novel was who this 'we' was that was recounting the narrative. I concluded that the story's narrator may be Emily's neighbors, or the broader public. The story's timeframe made it even more perplexing.
Miss Emily, I suppose, is a Necrophiliac. Necrophiliacs have a tendency to be so dominating in their relationships that they end up merging with non-responsive entities that have no resistance or willpower—in other words, dead corpses. Prior to his death, Emily's father wielded authority over her, which she later relinquishes to Homer. Emily, unable to express her desire to dominate Homer in a traditional manner, murders him with arsenic she bought from a drugstore in order to acquire total control over him. Emily not only murdered her sweetheart, but she also stored his body in her bedroom for four decades. The neighborhood discovers Homer's rotting, decomposing body in the upstairs bedroom after Emily's death.
Because of the timelines in each chapter, reading the story is a little confusing for me, but after reading and understanding the short story several times, I am able to understand it even though it is confusing for me. Emily's persona, her massive and decaying residence, her necrophilia, and the topic of death are all evidence of this. Emily is completely insane, which is why she died alone.
