Denial in A Rose For Emily Essay

A Rose for Emily

In A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, Emily is a lonely lady who cannot come to terms with all the loss and change in her life. Throughout the book Emily is in denial of everything going on. All of her loss and loneliness makes her cope by living in her own little world. She holds on to the past and makes it her present. She doesnt accept death very well and she doesnt understand that society changes or at least she doesnt want to understand.

Miss Emily had come from an upper class. Her family was seen as high and mighty in society which probably contributed to how stubborn she could be later when the entire world started changing outside her door step. Her father was a big part in her life. He held his head high and controlled Emilys every move, even her love life. When he died she couldnt let go of him, until she was forced to.

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 with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose if the body (pg365).

He was all she had all shed ever known. The very thing she depended on day to day in her life. This was a huge change for her when he passed away. She denied he was dead, kept his body in her house for three days!! Emily couldnt let go. Showing she didnt want things to change. She wanted things to stay as they were because it was easier then accepting it. Even later when they come to collect her taxes she wont give in.

For many years Miss Emily had been excused from taxes because there had been an agreement that her father had lended the town money. So when time changed and the new members of government decided it was time for her to pay her dues, she wouldnt have it. She was in her past believing it was her right and nothing could steer her from that.

I have no taxes in Jefferson. But there is nothing on the books to show that you see. We must go by the See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson. But Miss Emily- see Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson.(pg.364).

Miss Emily is doesnt seem to grasp the fact that first Colonel Sartoris had been dead for years!! Second things back in the day were done differently. People all knew one another and went by word. Times had changed and people were expected to change with it. Miss Emily was not having any of that. She still saw it as back in the day and she truly believed it to. Kind of like those older people you see on their porch talk about back in my day this or that all the time. She just didnt accept it was back in the day. I think it might be too much for her. She probably wanted to stay in the past because she didnt want to have to accept that she was alone in new times with nothing to show for her life and what it could have been. She didnt have anyone to guide her into transitioning into this new era. So she chose to say in the old era. Emily so stubborn even when the town got free postal delivery, Miss Emily alone refused to let them fasten the metal numbers above her door and attach a mailbox to it.(pg.368) she stayed there all alone, no loved one to help her threw it just her good old servant. So of course when Homer Barron came along she attached herself to him. Later she would again not be able to take loss properly.

Homer Barron and Miss Emily became friends later on in life. He was a mans man and liked to have fun. Miss Emily was happy though. People started talking that maybe they would get married. That Miss Emily would finally have a husband. I suppose that made Homer Barron uncomfortable because he went on to say - he liked men and that he was not a marrying man (pg.367) Later homer disappears and you find out that Miss Emily killed him. She ended up keeping his body in her bed and living with it for years.

For a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin. The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but now the long sleep that outlast love, had cuckolded him.(pg.369) Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of the head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron gray hair.

She kept his body just like she tried to keep her fathers body. This definitely shows that she was in denial. I would think that homer Barron wanted to leave and miss homer wouldnt have it. She wouldnt to be able to accept the loss and the change. She sleeps with him night after night as if he still lives and their both lovers. It would have probably devastated her to let him go. She actually went to the extent of buying the rat poison herself and later buying homer stuff. She buys homer a shaving kit and clothes. Miss Emily went to that extent to keep her little world going. To live in this illusion she created for herself and cut off all reality. In a way shes kind of playing god creating her own little world of suppression. In her world she doesnt have to let go of homer. They could live happily together until she dies. It is like they were going to get married. The world outside her is what it is but shes going to stay the same. Miss Emily is very stubborn. This only helps her more in her denial. Like regardless of what they tell her everything is still going as it was. To me this shows that Miss Emily had lots of loss and change and she was never going to accept it. I feel Miss Emily had no other choice though. It was like what else could she do. With all her heart she would believe everything was as she saw it in her eyes not what it really was. She will always see herself as a high Grierson with a big beautiful house in a well kept area. Emily was never going to see her dingy run down house in the middle of all this commotion and change.