A Rose For Emiy ReWrite

Alex Cusumano
Dr. Gibson
AEW
6 October 2009
Another Lonely Day
The great American writer Orson Welles once said, “We’re born alone, we live alone, and we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.” Welles portrays that everybody is alone throughout their entire life. He illustrates that people who have hundreds of acquaintances only temporarily create an illusion that they are not lonely. Often, those who experience loneliness also struggle with isolationism, insanity, and personal ridicule. In William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily,” he develops the theme that isolation can lead to madness through detailed portrayals of characterization.
The overbearing nature of Emily’s father causes her to become emotionally and mentally unstable when her father, the only male in her life, passes away. The reader can see how a single person affects mental development and self-importance through the way Emily’s father treats her. He deprived Emily of formulating fulfilled relationships outside of their home. When her father had passed away, she was in denial, saying, “her father was not dead” (4). For three days she denied her father was dead and “the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, [tried] to persuade her to let them dispose of the body” (4). Ironically, she clung to what had robbed her of a full life. Even though Emily was emotionally dependent upon her father, she had an immense reliance upon him and “after her father’s death she went out very little” (3). She became sick and was not seen by the townspeople for a long time. Emily’s sickness enables her to slowly isolate herself from everyone.
As Emily isolated herself, the southern townspeople tormented Emily through their constant disapproval and criticism her. Emily was a social icon in her town, a “tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town” (1). The community put Emily above everyone and everything else. They monitored Emily’s every move, trying to find faults in them. The townspeople did not show any genuine concern for Emily, which plays a significant part in her spiral towards madness. No one in the community reached out to Emily at the time of her father’s death. When Emily’s father passed away, the townspeople “were glad [because] at last they could pity Miss Emily” (4). A real community would be there for Emily if she had lost a loved one in which she heavily relied upon. Through Emily’s deeper isolationism, she further became lonely and depressed. The townspeople believed she would commit suicide. When Emily went to the druggist to get rat poison, the town commented, “‘She will kill herself’; and [they] said it would be the best thing” (6). The community had no real feelings for Emily. They town not shed a tear if Emily killed herself, but they would rejoice in the opportunity to gossip about it. The gossip of the town harmed even more, and Emily became more isolated and mentally unstable.
Being emotionally unstable from both Mr. Grierson and the townspeople, Emily longed for a person to trust again. Emily met and began to slowly see Homer Barron. Homer, too, was a public icon like Emily’s father because he “knew everybody in town” (5). With Homer’s public status came responsibility and disapproval. Homer is openly homosexual and “it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elks’ Club” (Faulkner 7). Regardless of Homer being gay, Emily is still determined to be with him. Emily becomes dependent and reliant upon Homer, just as she did with her father. The townspeople criticized Homer, saying he “was a disgrace to the town and a bad example to the young people” (7). The minister was called upon to interview Emily about Homer and the “[minister] would never divulge what happened during that interview [and] refused to go back again” (7). Emily stood up for the second most important male in her lifetime. When Homer’s work was done in the town, he left and the townspeople believed he would return. The townspeople smirked at his arrival “[and] sure enough, as [they] had all expected, within three days Homer Barron was back in town” (7). As Homer disappeared into Emily’s dark house, the townspeople said, “that was the last we saw of Homer Barron” (7). Emily was unable to let Homer leave her; therefore, she took the liberty of taking his life and physical body, so he could run away. The body of Homer was later found after Emily’s death and “the man himself lay in the bed” (9). On one pillow was the body and on the adjacent one lay “a long strand of iron-gray hair” (10). She was afraid of being alone again and slept night after night with Homer’s rotten and decayed body—until she died, that is. She came into the world with one male and went out with only one as well.
The influence of Emily’s father, the townspeople, and Homer Barron all led her to becoming insane because of loneliness. Emily had limited experience for growing in personal relationships because of her father. This consequently led to Emily’s isolation and constant mockery from the townspeople. Then, Emily found a man who she thought wanted to be with her, but her inexperience with men and relationships ultimately causes her to fail. She not only becomes officially insane after killing Homer, but mainly because she was sleeping with his rotten, decayed corpse. As demonstrated by William Faulkner in his short story “A Rose for Emily,” isolationism can lead people to madness. Emily was affected by her neighbor’s negative comments which led her to madness. People need positive influences from neighboring peers. Life is not an easy road without encouragement from others. Orson Welles believes that friendship creates the temporary illusion that we are alone, but that temporary illusion can save someone from loneliness and insanity.