William Faulkner's style of writing chronological events out of order is unique, but eventually the story comes together to make sense. I will attempt to analyze the story "Arose for Emily" in its actual chronological order.
The story really begins with the passing of Emily's father. For days Miss Emily refused to believe that her father was dead, until she finally broke down to have her father buried. After her father's death, Colonel Sartoris exempts Miss Emily from paying taxes for as long as she lives. Colonel Sartoris said this was the debt the city owed to her father.
Approximately one year after Miss Emily's father died, she bagan to see a man named Homer Baron. Miss Emily was from the "Old South"1 and Homer was from the North. It was unheard of for a southern and a northern to be together. People began to say "Poor Emily", as she would be seen on "Sunday afternoons driving in the yellowed-wheeled buggy and the matched team of bays from the livery stable"2. The ladies in the town thought that this was a disgrace and called a meeting to have the minister talk to Miss Emily. After this attempt did not work, the minister's wife called Miss Emily's cousins to come visit Miss Emily.
When Miss Emily 's cousins arrived, people thought that her cousins had convinced her to get married, since Miss Emily had ordered a "complete out fit of men's clothing, including a nightshirt"3. Mean while Miss Emily had gone to see the druggist for some poison. She never told the druggist what the poison was for, though he assumed that it was for rats. A few days after her cousins had left, Homer was seen coming into the Miss Emily's house. Neither one of them would be seen for quite some time afterwards. When Miss Emily was finally seen again, the town's people assumed that Homer had left; not realizing that she had killed him so that she could be with him life.
A short time later the town began to complain of the smell coming from Miss Emily's house.