Essay On Tobe In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily
903 Words4 Pages
In A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, Tobe had the role of Miss Emily’s butler. He was a black manservant who was probably owned by Emily’s family considering the time and location and had a rusty voice due to lack of use. He was the only lifeline that Emily had to the outside world. Tobe devotedly cared for Emily and tended to her needs for years. He also stayed by her side, keeping all her secretes unknown to the townspeople throughout her entire life and even after she died. Tobe was with Miss Emily and the family for a long time. This is known, because Tobe is seen with them though the Civil War and beyond that. As a black man in the Old South, Tobe’s options were limited. He had become convinced that he the world outside the house he served in was not the place for him. Emily was convinced of this too. He felt an obligation to be loyal to her and serve her at his best. He could have developed a friendship with her or have completely despised her and have maybe even wished for her death. Being in his situation, it was a…show more content… This is because Emily’s father had died, her male suitors disappeared, and Homer, who was meant to be Emily’s partner, had disappeared as well. Also, in Emily’s world, she thought it would be inappropriate for a female of any age to travel alone without a male companion by her side to escort her, which gave Tobe even more of a reason to be that certain male companion. Usually a father, brother, or husband would be the ideal fit for a male companion, but in a pinch, a male servant would do just fine, especially when Tobe served Emily as well as he did and saw many things that he had kept a secret from the town and the townspeople for the sake of Emily. Even though the townspeople interrogated Tobe for information about Emily, he never spoke and later, when Emily died, he walked away, never telling a single bit of information to