William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” depicts the idea that society's view on a
famous person can not only be commanding but also vicious and destructive. When people
live their lives in the public eye; it’s not easy to make everyone happy. This will usually
lead the person to use crazy and unexpected ways to fulfill his or her own wants and needs.
Miss Emily Grierson is the “celebrity” of her town. Obviously, with this status,
there’s a certain standing she has to uphold. She not only must represent her family, but in
a way, her community members as well. Because she’s a leading figure, the townspeople
have put her on a pedestal, and they are very critical and judgmental of everything she
does. According to her father, none of the men who wanted to date her were good enough
for her. Miss Emily was seen as somewhat of a goddess in most of the townspeople's eyes.
The townspeople respected her so much that “they rose when she entered [a room]” (242).
When her father died, it was really overwhelming for her. Considering she was
never able to develop a relationship with anyone else, it was like her entire world
completely fell apart right before her eyes. Emily tried to stay strong and always remember
her father, but in some way it seemed that even his spirit had left her. The story states that
“after her father’s death, she went out very little” (243). Emily wanted to keep her father
with her forever; nevertheless, the townspeople thought it was insane and eventually
disposed of his body. Although this was a depressing moment for her, it was also
therapeutic. She cut off all of her hair to symbolize breaking away from her father's
authority over her. For the first time in her life she felt free, even though she was “thirty
and still single” (244).
Now that this problem was gone and she has new found freedom, Miss Emily set
out to execute...