William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily- describes the journey through the life of a civil war hero's daughter. Over the course of her life, Emily Grierson unsuccessfully seeks love from everyone around her. Like a rose, Emily's life is pruned and nurtured by her father, Homer, and town. .
As far as Emily's personal life is concerned, she has none "thanks to her father. Emily's peak of womanhood is scarred by "all the young men her father had driven away - (Faulkner 365). Like a gardener, her father tries to pick all of the "weeds- from her life. However, he only creates thorns in Emily's life. After his death, he still haunts Emily by making her reluctant to bury him for three days. Afraid of being alone, Emily desperately clings to her father's lifeless body. This reluctance is the first indicator of Emily's insanity. People come to offer their condolence and she acts like nothing has happened. This life changing experience slowly turns Emily from a beautiful rose to a wilted rose.
In an attempt to become beautiful again, Emily begins to pursue a Yankee foreman, Homer Barron. The relationship is an effort to redeem her family name in Jefferson. Emily finds out that Homer is not going to marry her because "he liked men- (Faulkner 366). Infuriated and emotionally disturbed, Emily decides to poison Homer. She feels that she is entitled to have him, even if it means having him dead. Afraid of what people will think, she lets them think they are married. To ensure that the town believes this facade, Emily buys men's clothing and an engraved men's toilet seat. She tries to preserve Homer by keeping his dead body in her house causing an awful smell to develop. .
To the town of Jefferson, "Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care - (362). As the last remaining person from the high-ranking Grierson family in town, she serves as the ambassador of the old days. The folks of the town misinterpret the events that take place in her life as an effort to preserve her status.