Character Analysis: A Rose For Emily

William Faulkner truly outdid himself when characterizing Emily Grierson. Through the use of direct and indirect characterization he was able to vividly describe the woman, and to make her seem as if she is a real person that readers know. At certain points in the story, Emily is described to be ugly, fat, old, and unsociable. The author however goes beyond physical appearances when he writes about this character. By using indirect characterization the reader can infer that the woman is crazy and lonely. Miss Emily, as she is known in the story, is a round character because she is so well developed. While reading the story, the character develops over time, and readers learn more about the character throughout the story. Although Miss Emily is a round character, she is also a static character. She does not change throughout the story. From the beginning the audience is able to tell that she is lonely, and throughout the story she remains lonely. She always keeps the same mindset that she should not pay taxes, and she never lets people into her home. After the death of her father, Miss Emily had nothing left. Her father, who deprived her of love and marriage, was the only thing she had left, and she cling to him. She loved him with everything in her, and when he died, she lost it. She did not want to give up the body. Also, the reader can infer that she is crazy due to occasions in the story when Miss Emily buys arsenic, and keeps her fathers dead body. When she buys arsenic, the reader questions her purpose for the poison. At the end of the book, when the body of Homer Barron was discovered, the reader truly thinks this woman is a psychopath. Yet, when the grey hair is discovered on the pillow beside of the body, there is no doubt that this woman has lost all sanity. She faces many conflicts in life. One of them is with herself. She struggles to be happy, and to live her life. She has no reason to be happy. Yet, she also struggle with society. Society wants her to pay taxes, meanwhile, she retains the same mindset that she should not have to because she was told she would never have to pay taxes. Overall, Emily Grierson is a round and static character that is described by using both indirect and direct characterization.