"A Rose for Emily" ~by William Faulkner

(#8)
Throughout "A Rose for Emily," the narrator speaks from the third person point of view. Also, they always speak using "we" rather than "I". This creates the sense that the story is told from the viewpoint of one of the townspeople. The narrator is telling the story from an outside perspective. It is told in a way that seems like the story was composed of various gossip that went around town about Emily. The townspeople did not know much about Emily or what went on in her house. All they knew was what they observed from the outside. They saw the servant man enter and leave the house sometimes. They also saw Homer Barron enter the house, but one day they never saw him again. The townspeople talked and gossiped about what they thought was going on with Emily. "She will marry him," "She will persuade him yet," "Poor Emily," and "They are married" (p. 286). These are just a few of the rumors that passed around the town as they observed Emily's life from the outside. In this way, the story serves as "A Rose for Emily." The story is symbolic of a rose. What was once beautiful and good, eventually withers and dies over time. Emily was a beautiful young girl until her father died. Then, she stopped going out in public and started going crazy. After the rose has withered and died, the thorns still remain. This is what happened to Emily after her father's death. She lost the beauty she once possessed and hid away in her home. She finally went crazy with loneliness over time.