Emily Grierson In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

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Emily Grierson is a head strong woman who is alone, stereotyped, criticized by the town, and loves long and deep. In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, no matter what obstacles were thrown Emily’s way during the story she kept her head held high and stuck to what she thought was right. Throughout the town’s criticism and questions, she never gave in to what they wanted, which was for her to fall off the pedestal upon which the town placed her and her family Emily minded her own business and stayed out of others. At one time her family had been well respected.“Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a core; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town (Faulkner 209). As time passed, the majority of the town didn’t like the…show more content…
The day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at the house and offer condolence and aid, as is our custom. Miss Emily met them at the door dressed as usual and wit no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead (211)”. People started to feel sorry for her after that. When her father died everyone in the town knew the house was all that her father left to her, and in a way, people were glad. At last they could pity Miss Emily. “Being left alone, and a pauper, she had humanized. Now she too would know the old thrill and the old despair of a penny more or less (211)”. That was an example how the town envied her. Some years later Miss Emily found a sweetheart. All the town’s ladies said, “Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer” (212). That just gave them a reason to feel sorry for Miss Emily, but she still held her head high. The town thought that Miss Emily’s sweetheart left her, but it wasn’t until the end of the story when they broke down the door to the upstairs room that they knew he didn’t leave he died in the bed. When the town found that out they really felt sorry for the accusations they made about Miss Emily and her
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