A Rose for Emily

The Rose of Southern Gentility Never Withers Strictly speaking, the plot of the
short story "A Rose for Emily" may seem to suggest that the story is a mystery
story. t is the tale of a !oman !ho kills her lover !hen she is "ilte#. $ut the
character of %iss Emily an# the character of the Southern to!n in !hich she lives
create suspense rather than the plot line itself. The story #emonstrates ho! the
character of %iss Emily an# the superficially genteel character of the small
Southern to!n in !hich she lives ena&le the mur#er of 'omer, Emily(s &elove#,
to take place !ithout the to!n punishing Emily(s crime. The mur#er is
foresha#o!e# &y the !ay the to!n an# Emily(s father treats the !oman her
entire life. 'er #enial of reality is encourage# &y the to!n(s protection of its
aristocracy an# her father(s feeling that no one is goo# enough for his #aughter.
This special treatment allo!s %iss Emily to #eny her nee# to pay ta)es an# the
#emise of her father. n her min# she eventually &ecomes *+,marrie#( to the
suitor of her choice through #eath, an# to continues to enact the persona of the
proper Southern &elle, #espite her status as a mur#erer. The first foresha#o!ing
in the story of Emily(s sense of e)ceptionality in the eyes of the to!n takes place
in regar#s to her ta)es. The allo!ances ma#e for the character(s eccentricities of
living are similar to those ma#e for her ta)es. "%iss Emily ha# &een a tra#ition, a
#uty, an# a care- a sort of here#itary o&ligation upon the to!n, #ating from that
#ay in ./01 !hen 2olonel Sartoris, the mayor33he !ho fathere# the e#ict that no
Negro !oman shoul# appear on the streets !ithout an apron33 remitte# her
ta)es, the #ispensation #ating from the #eath of her father on into perpetuity.