Luxury in A Rose for Emily Essay

To the outside world, it might have appeared that Miss Emily Grierson grew up in the lap of luxury. Emily was born into a very good southern family with one of the best houses on the best street and with a rich father. She had promise; she would hold china painting lessons in her house and was admired by a community that placed her on a pedestal. Emilys life didnt start out badly, but it became a sad and disturbing life.

Although the house and the neighborhood had been one of the best, changes in the life and society began to intrude. Over the many years Miss Emily and her house reflected the changes that came to them and ran them down. Her life, as well as the house, began to fade away, to deteriorate and to crumble in the same way each reflecting the other. Life had changed but both Emily and the house remained prisoners on the street cemented in time. Little by little life has chipped away pieces. Miss Emilys decaying appearance matches not only the rotting exterior of the house, but the interior as well. She truly became a fallen Monument.

Emilys father, believed that no man was suitable for his daughter and chased away all her suiters. She was imprisoned by her father and was dominated by his presence. This is symbolized by the image of her standing in the doorway with her father behind her with a bullwhip in his hand. Even in death, his presence remained with her by the portrait in the parlor. That was the only way she knew love which was to totally possess a person. Therefore the only way she knew to love homer was to posses him as her father had possessed her. Emily Grierson has not had guests in her home for a decade. When she knew the homer was going to leave her she did the only thing she knew to keep him she killed him to posses him because possession was love. When Homer died from the poisoning, she kept his body in the same way she tried to keep her fathers body. Another example love for her was total possession. She would lay her head on the pillow with Homers dead corpse so he could be with her every night.

When Emily died ending her very weird, disturbing and twisted life, all the people of the town came to her funeral. Even in death the presence of Ms Emilys father is there with her in the form of the portrait in the parlor where her body lay.