As Emily and her father stand at the top of their social class, Mr. Grierson ensures that his daughter is protected from those “beaux” which were not “quite good enough for Miss Emily.” He stands in the doorway of their “squarish frame house” “clutching a horsewhip”, thus to separate those who are “good enough” from those who are not rendered concrete by the physical boundaries of the house itself. Mr. Grierson’s so

As the construction ends, Homer no longer has a reason for staying in Jefferson. He must travel to find work. He leaves for some time, but returns to see Emily. Frightened that she might loose her one chance at love, she murders him. In her illusion, there is no meaningful difference between a living lover and a dead one. Her actions are subject to her internal conflicting impulses. Emily’s desire for the forbidden lover who will substitute for the father clashes with her introjection of her father’s prohibitions. Homer’s murder gratifies both demands. It not only satisfies the paternal superego that Emily has internalized; it also makes Homer more closely resemble the dead father who is Emily’s actual desire.

After she killed him, she became even more isolated, than when her father had died. The townspeople did not see her for sometime. When they next saw her she had grown fat, and her hair was turning gray. “During the next few years it grew grayer and grayer until it attained an even pepper-and-salt iron-gray.”

Emily’s relationship with Homer came as a surprise to the local townspeople in more than one way. They were astonished because they had never seen Emily with men, besides her father, because of his strict rules. They also questioned why she was in a relationship with someone of this low social standing. The evidence of hers’ and Homers’ relationship pleased some of the locals, because it made Emily equal to them. Previously, Emily was perceived as an “idol” or a “monument” to be viewed with respectful affection. Even the aldermen, when they visited her to confront her about her taxes, stood as she entered the room as if she were a general. This social status, that her father tried so hard to retain, was destroyed by Emily’s relationship with Homer. Emily tries to mix oil with water by combining the people who are not “good enough” with the people who are supposed to represent the “august names” of the neighborhood.

By examining this strand of hair, one can delve into Miss Emily’s insane psyche. The term strand requires a deliberate cutting of the hair; therefore, the hair had not fallen out. The act of cutting off of one’s hair (or locks of it) was, among the Greeks, a ritual

Some topics in this essay:
Miss Emily, Emily Frightened, Miss Emily”, Homer Greek, Emily Homer’s, Emily Grierson, Emily” Faulkner, Miss Emily’s, Homer Barron’s, Previously Emily, life death, denies father dead, father dead, denies father, emily’s relationship, relationship homer, miss emily, father emily, miss emily”, dead father, “good enough”, emily’s relationship homer,