Feminist Critique of "A Rose for Emily": The Theme of Gender

The Role of Men in Miss Emily's Life

In "A Rose for Emily," there's a big focus on how men seemed to run the show, especially when it came to women like Miss Emily. Her dad was pretty much the boss of her social life while he was around. No guy was good enough for her, according to him. So she ended up being alone for quite a bit. And oh boy, the people around her had some serious thoughts about that. Being alone? That's just strange in their eyes.

Miss Emily didn't really care what folks thought. Eventually, she found someone, and nothing—not even death—could separate them. This little secret stayed hidden till she passed away. The story paints a picture of how life used to be back then: women were either under their father's thumb or their husband's watchful eye.

The Community's Expectations and Judgment

Back in those days, there were all these rules on how women should behave. Proper, stay-at-home types who needed taking care of—yep, that was the expectation. Miss Emily’s family was kind of a big deal, but her dad wasn’t exactly winning any popularity contests. Some folks thought he was kind of nuts and way too obsessed with keeping an eye on Emily’s social dealings.

When he died, the rumor mill kicked into high gear: “That house is all she's got left,” they’d say with pity. Funny thing is, his passing sort of birthed a new chapter for Miss Emily—lonely and all by herself—but in a way that exposed her true self to everyone around.

If you were single and female back then? Oh boy, something must be wrong with you! The town made things worse for Miss Emily by constantly judging her solitude. She started seeing Homer Barron—a loud fellow nobody approved of—to escape this pressure.

The Consequences of Societal Pressure

The townsfolk would murmur, “Poor Emily needs her kin.” Basically saying she’s dragging the family name through the mud by hanging out with this Homer guy. But hey, at least she finally got some male attention after losing her dad! At that point, what did it matter what others thought?

This constant pressure pushed Miss Emily into some crazy choices that shocked everyone when they finally found out. She hid away in her house for like 40 years! When they finally got into that locked room after she died... surprise! There lay Homer Barron's dead body next to one of Miss Emily’s long gray hairs. What lengths she'd go to just so she'd have a man around—even if he's not alive!

The Definition of Womanhood at That Time

Being a woman back then meant society expected you to have a man define your life. At first it was her dad calling the shots; later it was Homer Barron—even posthumously! He became such a huge part of her life because he was the only man she ever knew intimately.

Poor Miss Emily got judged while living and probably still gets judged beyond the grave due to those eyebrow-raising choices she made.

References

• Faulkner, W. (1930). A Rose for Emily.
• Bloom, H., ed. (2005). Bloom's Guides: William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily.
• Curry, R.L., (1994). On “A Rose For Emily”. The Explicator.
• Towner, T.M., & Carothers J.H., (2006). Reading Faulkner: Collected Stories: Glossary and Commentary.
• Petry, A.J., (1970). Faulkner's Fiction: The Lyric Subtext.