A Rose for Emily

A Précis of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”

The story begins in the funeral of Miss Emily Grierson. Nobody has been at Emily’s house for ten years, except Emily’s servant. The house is old but was once stunning, “set on what had once been our most select street”. In 1984, the town stopped billing taxes to Emily since, in the past, it was a way to pay Emily’s father for the great actions he did to the town. But the “next generation”, had dissatisfaction for the arrangement, then the officials made her a visit and tried to make Emily pay the money owing. Emily refused to pay the money.

Thirty years prior to Emily’s death, a bad smell was coming out from her house. This was about two years after Miss Emily’s father died and “a short time after her sweetheart–the one that would marry her-“abandoned her. The stink got stronger and people started making complaints. The authorities thought it was not a good reason to confront Emily. Instead, the authorities sprinkled lime around the house and after weeks the smell went away.

When Emily’s father died the townspeople felt sorry for Emily. Emily’s father left her the house, but no money. Emily’s father thought “none of the young men were quite enough for Miss Emily and such”, this is the reason Emily never married. Emily refused to admit the dead of his father for three days. Emily “told them her father was not dead”, refusing to let the ministers and doctors to take the body. The towns people “did not say she was crazy then” but assumed Emily did not want to let go his father.

Not too long after Emily’s father’s death, Emily started dating a construction worker named Homer Barron, who works in the sidewalk- building project. The old townspeople disapprove the affair between Emily and Homer and bring the two cousins. Even though Homer would not been an acceptable companion for Emily’s according to Emily’s deceased father when alive. Emily and Homer started spending a great time together. Emily was seen at the...