Melissa Valenzuela Aldana, A01112574 Jos Pablo Alvarez Advanced English II (300-1) September 24th, 2012 A rose for

Emily Miss Emily Grierson was a mystery for everyone in her town. She came from a wealthy family; she lived in the most select street of her town. Her father was a real successful person, so they were able to live in a big house with a lot of material stuff. The old mayor, before his fathers death, decided to remit her taxes, he didnt ask for her taxes claiming that her father had contributed a lot to the city, so now the city saw this remittent of tax as an obligation and a way to say thanks to her father. She didnt necessarily had the necessity of not paying taxes, she didnt need the charity, but it didnt affect her, but when the new generation claimed her taxes she didnt pay them because she still had the old mayors preference. Her father was successful, but was also strict. She dated many man, but none was good enough for her according to her father, for that reason she remained single up until she was thirty. Maybe thats the reason for her personality, she was a normal kid, but with her money and her fear of change it came out wrong. Her father pushed away everyone that couldve loved her, and she loved her dad, so she didnt said anything, but instead of making a good in her, her father was inflicting on her personality. She changed from a flirty normal woman, to a mysterious and secretive woman. Homer Barron was the man that had Miss Emilys affection. He was a Yankee, meaning that he was from the north; he came with his company for work reasons. He was a very good man, good humored, nice and kind, but he was poor, so people in town obviously criticized him that. Homer and Emily had a weird relationship, at first it looked like both of them liked each other just fine. They had some strolls, they hanged out with each other, but then he was having drinks with young man and people started thinking that he could be gay; therefore, a bad influence for kids. So, their relationship couldve started as a mutual affection, but it couldve ended as a one sided relationship. People even suspected that Homer

was gay! How could they have a relationship if he was gay? Perhaps that is the reason behind Emilys decision to kill him, to keep him with her. People in town tried to warn her that he wasnt a good choice, but she didnt listened to them, she even decided to take away his life in order to keep him with her, in a twisted way that couldve been love from her side. As for him, his feelings for her arent as clear, but it could be said that he cared for her as well, maybe not as deep, but something because he came back for her. As it had been mentioned before, Miss Emilys relationship with Homer couldve been one sided, maybe that is the reason of why it ended the way it ended. Miss Emily was afraid of change, she didnt like to move on, and she had a difficult time with that. When she heard that he couldve been gay, she mightve freaked out. She had fallen for him, and he could reciprocate in the same way as her. He kind of loved her, but at his own way, maybe not the hearts and flowers way she mightve wanted. So, she decided that the best choice was to find a way that was going to keep him by her side forever. She decided that she had to kill him. She decided to do that with poison, in this case, arsenic that could be used to kill rats as well, and wouldnt look as suspicious. When Homer came back, she couldve been nervous that he might leave her again because he didnt reciprocate, so she decided to buy him stuff as if they were married to follow her plan. She killed him with the poison and slept with his death body for over 30 years. She was afraid of change, so she kept something constant, something that couldnt and wouldnt leave her like her father, or her other lovers. It seems that people always pitied Miss Emily. They pitied her for the way her father kept man away from her, for the way that she was, of how her father left her with a house but no money, of her misery, her weight, many things. The story created a sad version of Emily; it tells her story in a way that makes you actually pity her. It may disgust you at the end, but in its majority you only see her misery throughout the story. The story starts and you feel sorry that the main character is dead, but as the story develops many feelings are brought alive by this woman. After sadness, you start feeling angry about her fathers influence on her life, and

that she kept quiet and didnt do anything about her, but then when her father dies and leaves her with nothing you start to pity her again. The reader wonders what will be the impact on her. Of course, she takes her time to get over things, but it only makes you pity her even more. Then, she meets Homer and she falls in love, you get really happy for her because finally something good is happening to her, but when people start saying that hes gay, or that he is way too poor you start pitying her again because she doesnt do anything right! As the story goes on, you have this impotence feeling, you cant help her, but then Homer leaves and she is alone, and gains weight and her life is just awful, you only feel sadness, only to be increased with her death. Finally, when they discover Homers body in her bed you can only feel repulsion and shock! She was a very troubled lady who lived locked up for over 30 years with a death body! Maybe thats the reason behind the storys name: A rose for Emily. Someone has to give her something, someone has to reciprocate her feelings, at least notice her, because she was neglected all her life, she didnt meet love.