Miss Emily, the title character of “A Rose for Emily,” demonstrates this strength in her determination to keep her house and life unchanged, whereas McLendon, in “Dry September,” shows a menacing physical appearance; however, in both cases we detect this strength before the characters have spoken a single word. The first description of Emily’s house shows Emily’s displeasure with the changes that have occurred around her: “It is a big, squarish frame house that has once been white…set on what had once been our most select street…Only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps.” The discrepancy between Emily’s house and her surroun

Like Emily, McLendon betrays his insecurity through physical, rather than verbal, means. After he kills William, he returns home quietly; rather than celebrating with his wife, he shows signs of unease: “He was sweating again already, and he stooped and hunted furiously for the shirt…there was no movement, no sound, not even an insect.” In his own home, the place where he can drop his mask of strength, he shows nervousness and self-doubt through his “hot eyes,” “sweating face,” and “furious hunt.” He doubts whether William raped Minnie, whether he has done the right thing by killing William, and, most crucially, his own strength and moral rightness. By killing William, he validates his strength in front of others, but his actions do not suffice to prove his manhood to himself.

McLendon’s strength is primarily physical. As the townspeople argue over the question of whether William, an African-American man, has raped Minnie, commonly considered the best-looking white woman in town, McLendon crashes open the door and enters the barber shop: “A man stood in t

Some topics in this essay:
Emily McLendon, William African-American, Rose Emily”, Homer Barron, Miss Emily’s, Colonel Sartoris, Jefferson Avoiding, Miss Emily, Colonel Sartoris…I, William Faulkner’s, emily’s house, raped minnie, killing william, emily mclendon, rose emily”, “dry september”, “a rose emily”, “a rose, insecurities doubts,