Character: Miss Emily Grierson (III, IV, and V)

Categorization & characterization

1. Section III: Homer first appeared in town and Emily purchased poison.
First appearance of Homer with Emily
- (Look) “When we saw her again, her hair was cut short, making her look like a girl, with
a vague resemblance to those angels in colored church windows--sort of tragic and serene.
her short hair cut → she gave up the past
a vague resemblance to those angels in colored church window → not only the tragedy and
misery → but also the in-mind prison → the hierarchy of the angels besides God - the
Jefferson (the Griersons stands the highness) .

- (Thought through townpeople) “…even grief could not cause a real lady to forget noblesse
oblige…”
→ "Noblesse oblige" is the belief that individuals of high social status have a
moral duty to treat those of lower social classes with honor and kindness.
It’s impossible how Miss Emily could abandon the principles of "noblesse oblige" and
engage in a serious romantic relationship with a common Yankee laborer.

→ Miss Emily should be polite and respectful to Homer, but she should not become
sexually involved with him.

- (Relationship with relatives) “"Poor Emily. Her kinsfolk should come to her.",
“They had not even been represented at the funeral.”
- → No relatives come to her and share with her misery after her father passed away. her
father had fallen out with them over the estate of old lady Wyatt, the crazy
woman.
→ abnormal characteristics were deep-rooted in her family and bequeathed over
generations.

- (Action) She carried her head high enough--even when we believed that she was
fallen.
"carried her head high" → maintained her pride and dignity, regardless of what others
believed about her → unwavering commitment to projecting an image of respectability
and self-assuredness.
 "even when we believed that she was fallen" → townspeople's judgment and speculation
→ Emily's behavior, particularly relationship with Homer Barron. → a socially
unacceptable or scandalous act.
→ highlights Emily's burden to be the last Grierson.

Purchasing the poison

- (Look) “She was over thirty then, still a slight woman, though thinner than usual,
with cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the
temples and about the eyesockets as you imagine a lighthouse-keeper's face ought
to look.”
"over thirty then." → the timeframe in the story.
"slight woman" → a small and delicate build.
"thinner than usual" → a decline in health or vitality.
"cold, haughty black eyes" → a hint of arrogance in her demeanor
strained flesh around her eyes and temples → heavy burden and a significant amount of
stress.
“a lighthouse-keeper's face” → Emily's life has been marked by hardships, challenges,
and emotional turmoil.

- (Speech)
"Yes, Miss Emily. What kind? For rats and such? I'd recom--"
"Is . . . arsenic? Yes, ma'am. But what you want--"
"I want arsenic.""I want the best you have. I don't care what kind."

- → The druggist → responsible by asking her → the intended use → arsenic

- → Miss Emily → uncooperative and responds with,"I want arsenic."
→ exempt from the law or that the rules do not apply to her because of her
social status.
- (Look) standing “erect”, and her face → a "strained flag."
→ Her erect posture → pride and determination.
→ The comparison to a "strained flag" may indicate the tension and unresolved
issues that have accumulated over the years
(1 slide)

- (Action) “her head tilted back”, maintaining eye contact until he looks away. → her
defiance and resistance to external inquiries. She does not conform to the usual
 expectations of polite and open communication. Her ability to hold eye contact
until the other person averts their gaze → a sense of dominance and assertiveness.
- → Emily is not easily intimidated, and she's accustomed to having her way.

Townpeople thought she would commit to suicide because of her reclusive nature, the
tragedy in her past, and her increasingly strange behavior, which raises alarm among
them.
(1 slide)

2. Section IV:
- At first, the town was optimistic, believing that Miss Emily and Homer Barron would
marry, and there was curiosity and approval.
- Then, doubts arose as Homer's reluctance to marry became known, leading to
speculation about Emily's persuasion. This period marked the peak of the town's
fascination with the couple.
- As time passed, disapproval grew, particularly among the ladies, who saw the
relationship as a disgrace and a poor example for the young .
- This shift from approval to disapproval marked the complex nature of their
relationship and evolving public opinion.

Relationship with Homer

- (Action) Emily’s going to jeweler's - ordered a man's toilet set in silver, with the
letters H. B. on each piece.
→ indicating her strong desire to marry him. However, it's unclear whether her
commitment stems from genuine love or a need for companionship and escape from
her lonely life.
- “Now and then we would see her at a window for a moment, as the men did that
night when they sprinkled the lime, but for almost six months she did not appear
on the streets.” → she disappeared again.
- (Look) “she had grown fat and her hair was turning gray”
"vigorous iron-gray" → despite her physical aging, her hair remains robust and
vital.
"the hair of an active man" hint at her resilience and inner strength.
(1 slide)

The last try, but failure

- (Action) “she gave lessons in china-painting” → reasons: tradition (a genteel and
refined activity associated with women of the upper classes; family – social standing;
 recreate a sense of the old Southern values and social rituals); source of income; social
interaction.
- “refused to let them fasten the metal numbers above her door and attach a
mailbox to it. She would not listen to them.” → The introduction of postal delivery →
changes that she is resistant to. Refusing the mailbox → resistance against these
changes
(1 slide)
- “she had evidently shut up the top floor of the house--like the carven torso of an
idol in a niche, looking or not looking at us, we could never tell which.”

Miss Emily's home → an object of reverence, curiosity, and even mystery to the
townspeople. (much like a sacred object in a shrine)
"looking or not looking at us" → ambiguity → her enigmatic and unpredictable
nature. (inescapable, impervious, tranquil, and perverse)

- Emily died in isolation

(1 slide)
3. Section V: During and after the funeral of Miss Emily
During the funeral
- “with the crayon face of her father musing profoundly above the bier”
o "crayon face" → a representation of his presence even after his death.
o "musing profoundly" → deep and contemplative expression → weight of the
past and the influence of her father's legacy on Miss Emily's life.
His presence → the ongoing impact of her father on her identity and actions.
- Townpeople’s perception of time (cái này khó; có thể không cần đem vào ppt)
o “as if she had been a contemporary of theirs, believing that they had danced
with her and courted her perhaps” → her timeless figure = their memory of her is
not constrained by the passage of time → nostalgia
o “confusing time with its mathematical progression, as the old do, to whom
all the past is not a diminishing road but, instead, a huge meadow which no
winter ever quite touches” → no loss, no death and no decay but the time adds more
to the past
(1 slide)
After the funeral
- “Already we knew that there was one room in that region above stairs which
no one had seen in forty years, and which would have to be forced.”
Why is this closed? = Why did Emily not disclose this relationship to the town? →
keep her love private because of townpeople’s judgement
(1 slide)

- "decked and furnished as for a bridal" → Emily's unfulfilled dreams and desires
for love, and marriage.
- The choice of the "faded rose color", "rose-shaded lights"
o Roses → love and romance
o the faded and tarnished quality of the color → ideals have wilted and
faded away in Miss Emily's life.
- "man's toilet things backed with tarnished silver" and the monogram being
obscured
o tarnished silver → corrosion of Miss Emily's dreams and her connection to
the past.
o obscured monogram → the identity and memory of the man she once
hoped to marry have been lost or forgotten.
(1 slide)
- “The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but now the long
sleep that outlasts love, that conquers even the grimace of love, had cuckolded him. “
o “the attitude of an embrace” → she laid the man in position of hugging her →
her determination of love
o “the long sleep that outlasts love” → death has finally cheated on him with
Emily and/or that Emily has cheated on Homer with death.
o "grimace of love" might refer to any unresolved feelings or tensions in the
relationship between Miss Emily and Homer → “conquers” → Death, in its
finality, puts an end to all emotions and expressions.
(1 slide)
- Why Emily killed Homer? Why had she lied next to the scope?
o Keep him beside her → keep her love lasting forever → her love excess the
boudary of dealth and life
o Possessiveness and exclusiveness → just belong to her → if being anyone’s, that’s
dishonor
- Indentation of head → died in reclined position → maintain her dignity even in death
- A long strand of hair → the last trace of her → she had been lying there for decades since
her hair short cut
(1 slide)
- (the very last tragedy) “They waited until Miss Emily was decently in the ground
before they opened it.”
 “The violence of breaking down the door seemed to fill this room with prevading
dust.” → There absolutely no privacy until Emily’s death is over and beyond
(1 slide)