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Sara McNulty
Mrs. Pettay
ENG 112 3A
19 May 2016
A Feminist Look at A Rose for Emily
The mysterious Letters of Junius state an ever present truth, oppression is more easily
endured than insult. This idea is exemplified in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily through
the patriarchal relationships that drive the story. Miss Emily Grierson has been surrounded by a
dominant male force her whole life. Every male, from her father to the town Judge, were bred in
a world where women were second class citizens, and treated Emily with that same respect or
lack thereof. The world Emily is born into is not one easily escaped, one that will force women
into a niche of gossiping and housework. Men hold the power not only socially but politically.
Emily never had a choice to be anything other than a woman linked to a man, she had to find
small ways to show her independence, which was a rare thing for a woman in that time to do.
Image, however, was what was important in an urban society, so Emily had to keep ties with a
male figure to be considered an integral part of society. A Rose for Emily emulates a male
dominated culture in the old south and Emilys necessary complacency to survive in that world.
The complicated relationship between Colonel Sartoris, Mr. Grierson and Emily is an
overwhelming example of Emilys oppression that is out of her control. The tax exemptions have
gone on since her fathers death, which the town sees as a sign of respect for him. Emily not
having to pay taxes is evidence of the towns mentality of a womans incapability to care for
herself. After her father sheltered her for her entire life, Emily never had the chance to create a
life for herself that is not in his shadow. The narrator is a towns person and obviously look down

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on Emily for this set up saying, Only a man of Colonel Sartoris generation and thought could
have invented it [tax exemption plan] and only a woman could have believed it. Emily is seen
as naive and helpless, which is only because of the inability to move up in society without a
mans help. In order not to be ostracized by her peers by trying to make some sort of income for
herself, she accepts this tax plan to survive. The men who hold the power in the town see this
arrangement as a given for a woman of Miss Emilys standing, a standing of helplessness but a
certain ounce of respect for her family name, her fathers name. Her father dictated every aspect
of her life, even deciding that she should not marry, the narrator remembers all the young men
her father had driven away. Her father did not think about how this act would cause Emily to be
at a severe disadvantage once he was gone, because she would be a single woman with no man
to pull her through everyday functions which were necessary in this time. Both of these men do
not even blink an eye in their obvious oppression of Emily, and she must comply with these
restricting expectations because that is how a proper lady would act.
Even the content of the story is dominated by male characters, despite Emily arguably
being the main character. The narrator as a towns person disregards Emily while she is not
directly linked to a man. The reader loses a view of her for years at a time, until an event with a
male occurs. From the death of her father, her relationship with Homer Barron, and the incident
with the Board of Aldermen; there are gaps with Emilys story. The narrator essentially forgets
about her for the years, but because of her slightly rebellious nature, still respects her
commenting, Thus she passed from generation to generation - dear, inescapable, impervious,
tranquil, and perverse. The reader and narrator do not care what she is doing though because she
is a single and alone woman, so essentially irrelevant. Renee R. Curry writes that the lack of
information about Emily when she is not in direct interaction with a man subordinates Emily,

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ostensibly the subject of the tale. Emily must graciously accept this privacy because if she made
her life without a man a public affair, the town would gossip even more than they already do.
The overwhelming male influence is not only in reference to Emily, but the women in the
town as well. The women are often portrayed as catty, especially at Miss Emilys funeral when
the men with a concern for enigma [of Emily] and the women with a concern for intimacy
(Curry). Ideas from women are quickly dismissed, for example in the instance of the horrid smell
at Emilys house when a neighbor woman suggests sending word to her, Judge Stevens quickly
says Im sure that wont be necessary, even though he does this very action the next day when
a complaint comes from a man. Women are put in a box in that town, labeled as gossips and
unimportant in society despite often being just as smart as men.
Emily must be complacent to these patriarchal rules in order to survive, but only to a
certain extent. She breaks away from the easily contained female figure several times throughout
the story. When she purchases the arsenic, she refused to budge on her decision even when the
male druggist questions her, The druggist looked down on her. She looked back at him, erect,
her face like a strained flag. Emily is not a stereotypical southern woman in this scene, who
would have submitted to whatever poison the male recommended. In an entry for the Faulkner
Journal, Gary Kriewald explains that despite usually accepting what is socially expected for her,
Emily has a dignified power and iron will that shows in subtle ways. If Emily was outright
about this independence, she would lose respect and what little power she had in this town.
Furthermore, when Emily gave china-painting lessons or refused the new metal numbers above
her door, she practiced a cunning way of societal rebellion with slight acts that most would not
turn their nose up at.

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The world A Rose for Emily is set in is a complicated one for women. Male dominance
is an unavoidable aspect of daily life that controls the motivations of most of the characters.
Emily Grierson is stuck in this town with little wiggle room, she must comply with societys
unspoken rules in order to be as successful as she can. All the women in the town are oppressed,
but deal with it because it is easier to bear than the alternative, endless insults. Emily must keep
ties with a man in order to keep power in society, but she is not the stereotypical upper class
female from this time and does not always crave to be the center of attention. Emilys slight
defiance is what makes her character stand out. Like any modern hero, she does what is
necessary to protect herself yet always acts in a way where she can somewhat shape the world
around her. Though Emily is a strong female lead, the male characters in the story obviously has
the true societal and political power. In spite of the beginnings of feminist ideals in Emily, A
Rose for Emily reinforces the dominance of males in the old southern world.

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Works Cited
Curry, Renee R. Gender and Authorial Limitation in Faulkners a Rose for Emily. The
Mississippi Quarterly 47.3 (1994) : 391-400. Print.
Kriewald, Gary L. The Widow of Windsor and the Spinster of Jefferson: A Possible Source for
Faulkners Emily Grierson. The Faulkners Journal 19.1 (2003) : 1-10. Print.

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