A Rose for Emily is a short story written by William Faulkner. Faulkner likes to place his short stories around the setting of the old south, right around the Civil War period. This is where this story picks up, around the time of the Civil War. Faulkner’s word choices such as referring to black people as “Negroes” and the references to the Confederate soldiers and their uniforms point the reader to the Civil War time period. By looking at Faulkner’s use of gothic elements, we can see how isolation is created, which most readers don’t see; this is important because the reader cannot fully develop a relationship with Emily.

First, Faulkner creates an isolated atmosphere around Emily throughout the short story. Emily hardly comes in contact with anyone besides her “Negro man”, Tobe. Tobe does not talk at all throughout the story and his voice even becomes scratchy because he doesn’t use it enough. Tobe is Emily’s only constant in her life. Tobe is there when her father dies, Homer dies, and even when she dies. He is really all she has although the narrator never exposes any dialogue between the two. The town is constantly observing Emily and is a big part of this story. When Emily’s father dies, she struggles to come to terms with the death and wants to hold onto the body. The people of the town understand and except that because it is a tough loss. Laura Getty points out that Faulkner keeps Emily’s life private by not letting anyone reading have any insight on Emily’s life. Faulkner does not let anyone enter Emily’s house until both her and Homer are dead (232). Thomas Dilworth says that Emily can be compared to a scapegoat because she lives in isolation to promote the security of the people around her (253). Emily may have some sort of mental problem because she really struggles will acknowledging the deaths of her two most beloved (although she killed one of them). Dilworth says that this behavior hints at a very bad loneliness issue and a plea for friendship (252). Emily had been lonely throughout her whole life. Since she was young, she lived a life of isolation. Her father would not let her date because he believed that no one was good enough for her. He kept her single until her 30s, when he died. After her father died, the town assumed his role and believed that no one was good enough for her because they were told that for so long (254). 

The isolation that surrounds Emily throughout the story creates suspense for the reader. The reader does not know what to expect next because of the creepiness that Faulkner presents. The whole story has a creepy aspect because of the narrator. The narrator tells the story in such a way that delays important information until the last second. The reader will not know anything until the very last second that he or she will need to know it. Emily’s lover, Homer Barron, is last seen entering Emily’s home late one night. He is not seen again until the very last scene of the story. The town is also affected by Emily’s isolation. The town doesn’t react as they should to Emily’s strange actions. The town could almost be to blame for the death of Homer Barron. The arsenic that sold Emily the strongest poison without proper cause, the men that entered her cellar knowing about a terrible smell that could only be a few things, and the minster who said that he would never speak of what happened during the interview with Emily are all at fault for Homer’s death. All of these events could’ve been avoided and spoken about but because the story takes place in the south, where women are held to a high regard and are never questioned or insulted, these events weren’t avoided. The black slave, Tobe plays a very large role in the story although seldom mentioned. He potentially could’ve known everything that Emily was doing during the story. This creates suspense for the reader, Faulkner utilizes the art of mystery and hypothetical situations to make the reader wonder. Dilworth says that the narrator purposefully creates suspense and tries to make the reader feel sympathy for Emily (252). 

A use of symbolism through Emily, the town, the north, and the south during the Civil War period can be seen. Emily could be represented as the south, wanting to break away and form her own and not conforming to the town in any way. The town could be represented as the north because they expect order and cooperation from the south, Emily. The town hasn’t experienced anything like this before and aren’t really sure how to react when it happens. 

The environment surrounding Emily is very southern. She is in a town with very southern traditions and beliefs. The attitude of the town surrounding Emily would not be the same if it were not in the south. Because of the southern nature that the town has by instinct, Emily is held to a certain “southerly woman” standard from the beginning. The old south that Emily becomes accustomed to is very reserved and set in its ways, as most southern places are. As Dilworth points out, Emily rebels against the values of the south by falling in love with Homer Barron, a Northern Yankee worker. Emily is supposed to be living her life as an ideal southern woman but she goes against that and causes problems with the town (251- 252). The mentioning of Colonel Sartoris and the whole taxes scandal with Emily’s father led to a dispute between Emily and the town. She claimed that her father had lent the town money and she need not to pay the taxes. The narrator says that only a woman would’ve believed Emily’ claims. Dilworth says that “White southern woman of class were not to be troubled by certain worldly obligations” (254). That quote means that women usually did not have to worry about taxes. When people of the town started to pick up on the awful smell coming from Emily’s home, men were sent without her knowing to break into her cellar and put pieces of lime to relieve the smell. The judge refused to make the matter a public issue because he refused to say to a southern lady of standards that she smelled bad (Dilworth 254). The slave, Tobe, was blamed minorly for the stench of her house. People in this time period believed that women belonged in the kitchen. The town believed for a while that the stench simply came from Tobe’s lack of knowledge in the kitchen. Dilworth asks a question that people in the south during this era would ask, “You can hire a man for gardening and other outdoor work, but what possible advantage would a man be inside the house” (256)? 

The gothic elements that Faulkner uses creates an uncomfortable isolation, most readers don’t see this and its important because the reader cannot fully develop a relationship with Emily. The rose that the story sort of revolves around becomes a symbol of silence (Getty 231). The time period that Emily is placed in really does shape the story that surrounds her. The southern aspect places her at a standard that she cannot live up to. Women during this time period are supposed to be reserved and very classy, whereas Emily is strange and quiet. The story revolves around her isolation and the reader’s reaction. 
