A Rose for Emily

A Rose for Emily is divided into five sections.

The first section opens with a description of the Grierson house in Jefferson. The narrator mentions that over the past 100
years, Miss Donna Lindsays home has fallen into disrepair and ecome !an eyesore amon" eyesores.# The first sentence
of the story sets the tone of how the citi$ens of Jefferson felt aout %mily& !'hen Miss %mily Grierson died, our whole town
went to the funeral& the men throu"h a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity
to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant ( a comined "ardener and coo) ( had seen in at
least ten years.#
*t is )nown around town that %mily Grierson has not had "uests in her home for the past decade, e+cept her lac) servant
who runs errands for her to and from the mar)et. 'hen a new city council ta)es over, however, they e"in to ta+ her once
a"ain. ,he refuses to pay the ta+es and appear efore the sheriff, so the city authorities invite themselves into her house.
'hen confronted on her ta+ evasion, %mily reminds them that she doesn-t have to pay ta+es in Jefferson and to spea) to
.olonel ,artoris, althou"h he had died 10 years efore.
*n section two, the narrator e+plains that the Griersons had always een a very proud ,outhern family. Mr. Grierson, %milys
father, elieves no man is suitale for his dau"hter and doesn-t allow her to date. %mily is lar"ely dependent upon her
father, and is left flounderin" when he dies. /fter Mr. Grierson-s death, %mily does not allow the authorities to remove his
ody for three days, claimin" he is still alive. ,he rea)s down and allows authorities to ta)e the ody away for a 0uic)
urial.
,ection three introduces %milys eau, 1omer 2arron, a foreman from the north. 1omer comes to Jefferson with a crew of
men to uild sidewal)s outside the Grierson home. /fter %mily and 1omer are seen drivin" throu"h town several times,
%mily visits a dru""ist. There, she as)s to purchase arsenic. The dru""ist as)s what the arsenic is for since it was re0uired
of him to as) y law. %mily does not respond and coldly stares him down until he loo)s away and "ives her the arsenic.
'hen %mily opens the pac)a"e, underneath the s)ull and ones si"n is written, 34or 5ats.3
.iti$ens of Jefferson elieve that Miss %mily is "oin" to commit suicide since 1omer has not yet proposed in the e"innin"
of section four. The townspeople contact and invite %mily-s two cousins to comfort her. ,hortly after their arrival, 1omer
leaves and then returns after the cousins leave Jefferson. /fter stayin" in Jefferson for one ni"ht, 1omer is never seen
a"ain. /fter 1omers disappearance, %mily e"ins to a"e, "ain wei"ht, and is rarely seen outside of her home. ,oon, Miss
%mily passes away.
The fifth and final section e"ins with Jefferson women enterin" the Grierson home. /fter they arrive, %mily-s lac) servant
leaves throu"h the ac) door without sayin" a word. /fter %mily-s funeral, the townspeople immediately "o throu"h her
house. They come across a room on the second floor which no one had seen in 60 years, and rea) the door down. They
discover a dusty room stran"ely decorated as a ridal room. The room contains a man-s tie, suit and shoes, and a silver
toilet set which Miss %mily had purchased for 1omer years efore his disappearance. 1omer-s remains lay on the ed,
dressed in a ni"htshirt. 7e+t to him is an impression of a head on a pillow where the townspeople find a sin"le !lon" strand
of iron8"ray hair.# *t is thus implied that not only had %mily )illed 1omer with the arsenic, ut also had lain in the ed with his
corpse up to her own death.
Narration
The story is narrated from a first8person plural perspective 9'hen Miss %mily Grierson died, our whole town went to her
funeral:. The identity of the characters specific to the use of the words 3our3 and 3we3 is not "iven, thou"h it is possile that
these refer to the townspeople who are narratin" with a unified voice, and representin" southern white society.
.hronolo"y
4aul)ner-s chronolo"y is unli)e that of other writers of his time. 1e does not tell his story in linear fashion, ut rather ;umles
the se0uential order. This techni0ue uilds suspense for the reader as the plot unfolds it y it. The reader must doule as
detective as each piece of the pu$$le is revealed throu"hout the story.
,ymolism, *ma"ery, and /lle"ory
The 1ouse
Miss %mily-s house is an important symol in this story. 9*n "eneral, old family homes are often si"nificant symols in Gothic
literature.: 4or most of the story, we, li)e the townspeople, only see Miss %mily-s house from the outside loo)in" in.
*t was a i", s0uarish frame house that had once een white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled alconies in
the heavily li"htsome style of the seventies, set on what had once een our most select street. 2ut "ara"es and cotton "ins
had encroached and oliterated even the au"ust names of that nei"horhood< only Miss %mily-s house was left, liftin" its
stuorn and co0uettish decay aove the cotton wa"ons and the "asoline pumps ( an eyesore amon" eyesores.
The fact that the house was uilt in the 1=>0s tells us that Miss %mily-s father must have een doin" pretty well for himself
after the .ivil 'ar. The narrator-s description of it as an 3eyesore amon" eyesores3 is a doule or even triple ;ud"ment. The
narrator doesn-t seem to approve of the uran sprawl. 'e also speculate that the house is an emlem of money proaly
earned in lar"e part throu"h the laors of slaves, or emancipated slaves. The final part of this ;ud"ment has to do with the
fact that the house was allowed to decay and disinte"rate.
The house, as is often the case in scary stories, is also a symol of the opposite of what it-s supposed to e. Li)e most
humans, %mily wanted a house she could love someone in, and a house where she could e free. ,he thou"ht she mi"ht
have this with 1omer 2arron, ut somethin" went terrily wron". This somethin" turned her house into a virtual prison ( she
had nowhere else to "o ut home, and this home, with the corpse of 1omer 2arron rottin" in an upstairs room, this home
could never e shared with others. The house is a huge symbol of Miss Emily's isolation.
The ?oc)et 'atch, the ,tationery, and the 1air
These are all symols of time in the story. 'hat-s more, the stru""le etween the past and the future threatens to rip the
present to pieces. 'hen memers of the 2oard of /ldermen visit %mily to see aout the ta+es a decade efore her death,
they hear her poc)et watch tic)in", hidden somewhere in the folds of her clothin" and her ody. This is a si"nal to us that for
Miss %mily time is oth a mysterious 3invisile3 force, and one of which she has always een acutely aware. 'ith each tic)
of the cloc), her chance for happiness dwindles .
Another symbol of time is Emily's hair. The town tells time first y %mily-s hair, and then when she disappears into her
house after her hair has turned 3a vi"orous iron8"ray, li)e the hair of an active man3 96.@:. 'hen %mily no lon"er leaves the
house, the town uses Toe-s hair to tell time, watchin" as it too turns "ray. The strand of %mily-s hair found on the pillow
ne+t to 1omer, is a time8teller too, thou"h precisely what time it tells is hard to say. The narrator tells us that 1omer-s final
restin" place hadn-t een opened in 60 years, which is e+actly how lon" 1omer 2arron has een missin". 2ut, %mily-s hair
didn-t turn 3iron8"ray3 until appro+imately 1=A=, several years after 1omer-s death.
*n 3'hat-s up 'ith the %ndin"B3 we su""est that the town )new they would find 1omer 2arron-s dead ody in the room. 2ut
maye what they didn-t )now was that she had lain ne+t to the ody at least several years after its owner had departed it,
ut perhaps much more recently. ,till, the townspeople did have to rea) into the room. 'hen and why it was loc)ed up is
proaly only )nown y %mily 9who is dead, and wouldn-t tal) anyway: and Toe 9who has disappeared, and wouldn-t tal)
anyway:.
The stationery is also a symol of time, ut in a different way. The letter the town "ets from %mily is written 3on paper of an
archaic shape, in a thin, flowin" calli"raphy in faded in)3 91.6:. %mily proaly doesn-t write too many letters, so it-s normal
that she would e usin" stationery that-s proaly at least 60 years old. The stationery is a symol, and one that points ac)
to the tensions etween the past, the present, and the future, which this story e+plores.
Lime and /rsenic
Lime and arsenic are some of the story-s creepiest symols. Lime is a white powder that-s "ood at coverin" the smell of
decomposin" odies. *ronically, it seems that the lime was sprin)led in vain. The smell of the rottin" corpse of 1omer 2arron
stopped waftin" into the nei"horhood of its own accord. Cr maye the town ;ust "ot used to the smell. The lime is a symol
of a fruitless attempt to hide somethin" emarrassin", and creepy. *t-s also a symol of the way the town, in that "eneration,
did thin"s.
We lum it together !ith arsenic because they are both symbols of getting rid of something that smells, and in the
case of 3/ 5ose for %mily,3 it happens to e the very same thin". 5ememer what the dru""ist writes on %mily-s pac)et of
arsenic, under the poison si"nB 34or rats.3 4aul)ner himself claims that 1omer was proaly not a nice "uy. *f 1omer is
plannin" to rea) a promise to marry %mily, she, in the southern tradition, would most proaly have considered him a rat.
The arsenic used to )ill a stin)y rat creates a foul stench, which the townspeople want to "et rid of with lime.. 'e should
also note that arsenic is a favorite fictional murder weapon, due to its reputation for ein" odorless, colorless, and virtually
undetectale y the victim. Director 4ran$ .apra-s 1A66 film /rsenic and Cld Lace is "ood e+ample of this.
Death and Ta+es
7otice how the first section of the story involves what 2en;amin 4ran)lin said were the only two certain thin"s in the world&
death and ta+es. 4ran)lin was tal)in" aout the fact that even the D.,. .onstitution would e su;ect to future chan"e.
Miss %mily-s death at the e"innin" of the story, and the narrators memory of the history of her ta+ situation in Jefferson
mi"ht e what /lfred 1itchcoc) called 3mac"uffins.3 / mac"uffin is 3an o;ect, event, or character in a film or story that
serves to set and )eep the plot in motion despite usually lac)in" intrinsic importance3 7either the funeral nor the ta+ issue
seem to e aout are all that important to the tale of murder and insanity that follows.
,till, we should 0uestion whether or not they actually are mac"uffins.
The ta+es are can e seen as symols of death. The initial remission of Miss %mily ta+es is a symol of the death of her
father. *t-s also a symol of the financial decline the proud man must have e+perienced, ut )ept hidden from %mily and the
town, until his death. ,ince the story isn-t clear on why %mily only "ot the house in the will, the ta+es could also e a symol
of his continued control over %mily from the "rave. *f he had money when he died, ut left it to some mysterious entity, 9the
story is unclear on this point:, he would have denied %mily her independence.
Cver E0 years after the initial remission of Miss %mily-s ta+es when the 3newer "eneration3 tries to revo)e the ancient deal
they inherited, ta+es are still a symol of death, thou"h this time, they symoli$e the death of 1omer 2arron.
/s we ar"ue in 3'hat-s Dp 'ith the %ndin"B3, the town is proaly already aware that she has a rottin" corpse upstairs.
Maye the ta+es were ;ust an e+cuse to definitively see what was "oin" on at the house. The ne+t phase of their plan mi"ht
well have een foreclosure. They could have used the ta+ situation to remove %mily from the nei"horhood, and to
condemn her house. ?erhaps they wanted to remove the 3eyesore,3 and to cover up everythin" Miss %mily says aout the
past and present of the ,outh.
The fact that they didn-t do this mi"ht ;ust turn the ta+es into a symol of compassion. 'asn-t it out of compassion that her
ta+es were initially remittedB That the 3newer "eneration3 decides to continue the tradition also shows that some of the older
ways mi"ht well have merit.
A "lean Well#$ighted %lace
*t is late evenin". *nside of the cafF, there are two waiters 9old and youn": and the old man who is sittin" outside on the terrace. 3The old
man li)ed to sit late ecause he was deaf and now at the ni"ht it was 0uiet and he felt the difference3. 1e was drun) as usual. The waiters
are chattin" aout the old man who tried to commit suicide last wee). The youn" waiter has no idea why he wanted to )ill himself& 31e
was in despair3 9...: 31e has plenty of money3.
%ventually the old man wants another "lass of randy. The youn" waiter comes to him and refuses to "ive him another "lass& 3Gou will e
drun)3. Disappointed, he "oes ac) inside of the cafF. The youn" waiter starts to complain aout the old man. 3*-m sleepy9...: he should
have )illed himself last wee)3. Then he ta)es the randy ottle and marches out to the old man-s tale and says this word directly to the
old man, ut as the old man is deaf he does not understand him.
/fterwards in the cafF, oth waiters are tal)in" aout the reasons that some old people commit suicide. 4rom this conversation, the
reader can "ather that the old man who was there last wee) han"ed himself with a rope, and that it was his niece that cut him down. The
youn" waiter a"ain states that the old man who is there toni"ht should "o home ecause he, the youn" waiter, wants to "o home to his
wife. 4urthermore, the youn" waiter cannot understand that oth the old man and the older waiter li)e to stay in the cafF lon"er& 31e-s
lonely. *-m not lonely. * have a wife waitin" in ed for me.38 he said. Cnce a"ain we can see that the youn" waiter has no re"ard toward
the old, as he descries the old as a 3nasty thin".3 The older waiter tries to e+plain a few thin"s to the youn"er waiter.
The old deaf man wants another "lass, ut the waiter who was in a hurry persuades him 3with that omission of synta+ stupid people
employ when tal)in" to drun)en people or forei"ners. 37o more toni"ht. .lose now3. The old man pays for the randy and "ives a tip to
the waiter.
2oth waiters are pullin" the shutter, only this time they are tal)in" aout a matter of ein" lonely, feelin" no fear aout "oin" home efore
usual hours. Goun" man& 3*-m confidence. * am all confidence.3 Then he says that the older waiter has the same thin"s as he, ut the
older waiter says 37o. * have never had confidence and * am not youn" 9...: * am of those who li)e to stay late at the cafF,3 9...: 3'ith all
those who do not want to "o to ed. 'ith all those who need a li"ht for the ni"ht.3 The youn" waiter seems to not comprehend the idea of
a well8li"hted and clean place where the old can escape from loneliness. 3..there are shadows of the leaves38 the older waiter says. 'ell8
li"hted is a contrast with the dar)ness of death and ad thou"hts. The dar)ness must e avoided ecause in the dar)ness everythin" is a
3nada3 9,panish& -nothin"-:. The older waiter stays in case someone needs a li"hted cafe in the ni"ht, in contrast with a ode"a or a ar,
which may not e li"hted or clean and thus will only increase the loneliness.
The youn" waiter leaves the scene, and after -"ood ni"ht,- the older waiter e"ins a monolo"ue in which 3nada Hnothin"I3 replaces words
in the Lord-s ?rayer, and the first line in the 1ail Mary prayer.
Cur nada who art in nada, nada e thy name thy )in"dom nada thy will e nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our daily nada
and nada us our nada as we nada our nadas and nada us not into nada ut deliver us from nada< pues nada Hthen nothin"I. 1ail nothin"
full of nothin", nothin" is with thee.
/fter that he smiles and "oes to stand in front of a ar, which he thin)s needs cleanin".
3'hat-s yoursB3 as)ed the arman. Happarently as)in" for an order, meanin" 3'hat is your drin)3I
37ada.3
3Ctro loco mas,3 H/nother cra$y personI said the arman and turned away. The waiter then finally orders a little coffee.
The story ends with these words& 7ow, without thin)in" further, he would "o home to his room. 1e would lie in the ed and finally, with
dayli"ht, he would "o to sleep. /fter all, he said to himself, it-s proaly only insomnia. Many must have it.
&nterretation
,ome have ar"ued that 1emin"way contrasts li"ht and shadow differentiate the old man and the youn" people around him, and uses the
deafness of the old man as a symol for his separation from the rest of the world.
*n A Clean Well Lighted Place 1emin"way uses the waiters to ;ud"e the old man and portray his views toward the type of drin)er he is.
/s a clean drun), the man does not spill a drop as he drin)s and wal)s 3unsteadily ut with di"nity3 when he finally leaves the cafF. The
waiters tal) etween themselves as the youn" waiter as)s the old waiter the mans story. 1e wonders how anyone could sit alone while
drin)in" instead of uyin" a ottle for himself while drin)in" in the comfort of his own home. *t is then the old waiter who defends the man.
The old waiter ac)nowled"es that it is etter for the man to have many drin)s in pulic than any drin)s in private. *n the film version of the
story, the old waiter "oes to ed alone in his own place with a ottle of alcohol near his ni"htstand su""estin" that he had een spea)in"
from e+perience while defendin" the old man
/nother way to analy$e the relationships etween the men is to compare them as one person. The youn" waiter complains aout havin"
to stic) around the cafF waitin" for the man to finish drin)in". 1e claims that he has a wife to "o home to and he would rather e in ed
than in the cafF. The old waiter defends the drin)in" man ecause he can relate and even see himself in the man. 1e sympathi$es
)nowin" that he, too, prefers a clean well li"hted place to drin) and will later appreciate such a place in his old drin)in" a"e. The old man
is in his final years of life and the old waiter reco"ni$es that he soon will have the same fate as the old man. / pro"ression of a"e is seen
amon" the characters demonstratin" the transition from ein" youn" and social to a"in" and feelin" lonely. *n 3/ .lean 'ell Li"hted
?lace,3 1emin"way portrays a difference in a"e, e+perience, and opinion of drin)in" throu"h the uni0ue characters that could represent a
pro"ression of alcoholism.