Sunday, January 9, 2011

In "A Rose for Emily," how are women represented and marginalized?

Miss Emily's life is dominated by a controlling father.  It is because of him that she finds herself alone after his death.  Because he prevented her from marrying, he did not believe that any of her suitors were worthy of her, she is depicted as a lonely spinster.  This is not her fault.  


When Emily meets Homer Barron, he too tries to dismiss her, to marginalize her needs, clearly he should not have gone on carriage rides with her if he was never interested in her in a romantic way.  He makes a fool of her in front of the whole town, first because she has put aside the fact that he is a Yankee and allowed herself to associate with him.  Then, when everyone thinks that they are going to get married, he disappears.


Once again, Miss Emily is left alone by a controlling man, or so it seems to the town.  


Miss Emily does manage to escape the prejudice of the men in this story.  She sidesteps paying her taxes, she takes up with a Yankee, something that would have horrified her father, and she kills Homer Barron, for thinking that he had a right to leave her. 

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