The Love that Killed
When it comes to lost love, some people seem to dwell on this unreturned emotion instead of growing and moving on. This is tragic because it can paralyze a person in such a way that it may prevent a future relationship. In the short story “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner portrays Miss Emily Grierson as someone who experiences this type of emotional pain. She struggles with being stubborn, predictable, and mentally unstable due to the fact she cannot cope with her fiancé Homer Barron and other losses in her life.

In regard to Miss Emily Grierson, Faulkner makes it abundantly clear that she is a rebellious woman who is determined to live her life and make decisions for her own good with disregard of others wishes. Every year when it comes time for paying taxes in Jefferson, Miss Emily’s hometown, she is determined not to pay, because she had been exempt by Colonel Sartoris, a mayor from the past. With the arrival of the new Board of Aldermen barging in the doors of her traditional home, Miss Emily proves that she is no force to be reckoned with when she sternly says, “I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained it to me. Perhaps one of you can gain access to the city records and satisfy yourself” (66). With this being said, it is clear that she is very headstrong in her opinions and thinks change is just not necessary. Other than taxes, Faulkner makes it clear to the reader that Miss Emily’s stubborn attitude shows when it comes to her control issues with Homer Barron. When he left and returned days later, Homer had no idea what was in store for him. After buying arsenic (poison) Miss Emily poisoned Homer. Her stubborn attitude and reaction to Homer leaving made Miss Emily feel as though she had no control and the only way of saying it was by killing Homer Barron.

Faulkner gives many underlying examples of how predictable Emily was. It is clear that Emily apparently has some type of mental issue reflecting upon the actions Emily took. Faulkner led the reader into a glimpse of what the future had to hold for Miss Emily. For instance, when a smell developed around Miss Emily’s home after the disappearance of her old-lover and death of her father, it is made clear that Miss Emily is hiding something unusual behind the doors of her home. It was a complete “game changer” when Homer Barron came to town. The old lonely, desperate Miss Emily had finally shed the old ways of her life and apparently found a new love when the townspeople saw the two “riding around in the yellow-wheeled buggy” repeatedly (164). The townspeople pitied her for this because Homer was not the settling type. Minus this fact, Emily created an obsession with Homer. She never wanted him to leave so she organized a way for him to stay with her forever. When Faulkner writes, “A neighbor saw the negro man admit at the kitchen door at dusk one evening. And that was the last we saw of Homer Barron” its made obvious by now as to what Emily did with Homer (247). She killed Homer and is now hiding the dead body somewhere in her home. The controlling, psychotic Miss Emily is most definitely considered as a predictable person in the end.

Due to her many actions throughout the story, Miss Emily is seen as an insane person. Her uncontrollable personality certainly was evident with some of the bizarre actions she took. When she died, all the townspeople were eager to explore her home and see the mysterious things Miss Emily held locked behind the doors of her home for nearly thirty years. When the author wrote, “Then we noticed that on the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, a long strand of iron-gray hair” Homer’s disappearance made perfect sense to the townspeople as well as the reader (339). The predictable Miss Emily had in fact been keeping Homer. Not only was she keeping the lifeless body in her possession, but she had also lain with it. Poor Homer had no escape from the uncontrollable wrath of Miss Emily Grierson.

Her stubborn, predictable, and insane personality was proven to be the plot for all the mysterious things the story announced. Though people do dwell on past relationships, Miss Emily learned to terminate hers to make it last for the rest of her life. In regard to Miss Emily Grierson and Homer Barron’s relationship…. love really does kill.