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2defending Emily Grierson by Casey Foster
2defending Emily Grierson by Casey Foster
by Casey Foster
Those that study Sigmund Freud and his theories, claim that in Miss
Griersons case, her father prevented her from maturing sexually in a
normal and natural way. Thus repressed, her sexual drives emerged in a
tragic form-that is to say, in abnormal and unnatural behavior (Scherting
400). They also determine that Miss Griersons desires for her father were
transferred, after his death, to a male surrogate-Homer Barron (Scherting
399). This is evident, not only in the relationships she had with both males,
but also in the literal sense after their deaths. She reluctantly allowed her
fathers remains to be removed three days after his passing, and eventually
replaced his body with the body of Mr. Barron. Her delusions and break with
reality, caused by the Oedipus complex, became progressively worse until
she felt she had no other choice but to poison Homer Barron and make him
hers forever. The prosecution will present that Miss Grierson also
participated in necrophilia. This will not be disputed by the defense, as
necrophilia is also a documented mental disorder that corroborates insanity
(Miller 627). Forensic psychologists propose that such behavior suggests in
her a terrible loneliness and desperation for companionship. She idolized and
idealized her father and Homer Barron, even to the point of endowing them
with fictitious life beyond death (Dilworth 253).
Miss Griersons mental instability was well known to the townspeople of
Jefferson. An additional sworn statement from one of its residents regarding
Miss Griersons behavior after her fathers death included:
We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she
had to do that. We remembered all the young men
her father had driven away, and we knew that with
nothing left, she would have to cling to that which
had robbed her (Faulkner 1105).
Others recalled mental illness in her family, remembering how old lady
Wyatt, her great-aunt, had gone completely crazy at last (Faulkner 1105).
Yet when her behavior became more and more erratic, no one from the town
stepped in to help her. The townspeople had knowledge that Miss Grierson
was going to be poisoning someone when she purchased the arsenic, either
herself, or Mr. Barron. They may not have clearly anticipated Mr. Barrons
death early on, but there is an indication that they knew about the killing
afterward, which legally implicates the townspeople as accessories to murder
after the fact (Dilworth 252). They had knowledge that Homer never left the
house once he returned from the north, and even some of the men from the
town spread lime in the middle of the night to get rid of the stench left by his
decomposing body (Faulkner 1105). In this era, bodies are not embalmed
and wakes are held in the home. This suggests that people are accustomed
to what a decaying body smells like, and can most likely identify how long it
would take a corpse to decay (Dilworth 258). Yet the townspeople remained
silent. If Miss Grierson is to be found guilty for Mr. Barrons murder, then the
townspeople will equally need to be held accountable for their part as well.
The Prosecution will argue that the burden of being romanticized by
society was too much for Miss Grierson to bear so she killed Mr. Barron in
order to preserve her image as a proper high-class southern Christian lady
(Dilworth 255). There is some truth to the notion that Miss Grierson was
idealized by the society she lived in. However, for Miss Grierson, that
idealization had a terrible price; a lifetime of solitude and denial of natural
sexual affection (Dilworth 254). As a result of her mental illness, poisoning
Mr. Barron and keeping his body in her bed was, in her delusional mind, a
way of appeasing the townspeople, without surrendering him and ending
their relationship. Its disturbing really, that Miss Griersons whole life was on
display for the town of Jefferson, yet no one offered to get her the help she
needed for her psychosis. If someone had intervened on her behalf, maybe
she wouldnt have poisoned Mr. Barron and spent years sleeping next to his
rotting body. Maybe this tragedy could have been avoided.
The law never clearly defines mental illness. Yet, guidelines that help
outline the law in regards to mental illness, suggest the accused must suffer
from a major psychosis or affective disorder with limitations to disorders that
have significant defects of reality (Miller 627). iss Grierson suffers from an
Oedipus complex. It is narcissistic in nature and led to her psychotic break
with reality, which caused her to transfer the unnatural feelings she had for
her father onto Mr. Barron, ultimately leading to his death and ensuing
necrophilia. Miss Griersons deceased father was the subject of her desires,
but Mr. Barron became the object her desire was fixed upon (Scherting
401). Her mental illness alone, does not qualify Ms. Grierson for an insanity
defense. The law states a second condition must be met; the unlawful act
must be directly related to her mental illness. According to the law, in the
case where both conditions are met, the jury is directed to find the
defendant not guilty by reason of insanity (Miller 628). Therefore, I urge
you to shadow the law and declare Emily Grierson not guilty by reason of
insanity.
Works Cited
Dilworth, Thomas. "A Romance to Kill For: Homicidal Complicity in Faulkner's
A Rose for Emily. Studies in Short Fiction 36.3 (1999): 251. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. Making Literature Matter: An
Anthology for Readers and Writers.6th Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford.
Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2015. 1102-1109. Print.
Miller, Glenn H., M.D. "Insanity Standards." Psychiatric Annals 22.12 (1992):
626-31. ProQuest. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
Scherting, Jack. "Emily Grierson's Oedipus Complex: Motif, Motive, and
Meaning in Faulkner's 'A Rose for Emily'." Studies in Short Fiction 17.4
(1980): 397. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.