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A Rose For Emily


            
             "A Rose For Emily" by William Faulkner deals with the shocking subject of morbid fascination, resistance to change, and the lasting effects of a father's pattern of psychological abuse; however, I do not believe it deals with necrophilia per se. The term necrophilia implies a sexual component, which is not overtly evident in the story. .
             Emily Grierson is the main character illustrated in the story. There are several clues contained within the story as to Emily's mental state. The first example of this can be found in the description of Miss Emily's house. The house is described as "an eyesore among eyesores" and also as the last of its kind in existence. This description symbolizes the stubbornness with which Miss Emily clings to the past. Although everything around the house has changed, it has not, so too miss Emily has resisted change by refusing callers and closing herself within a cocoon of fantasy and abject isolation. .
             Further evidence of Miss Emily's refusal to acknowledge the changes that take place in her community can be seen in her unwillingness to remit taxes to the town in which she lives. Miss Emily admits the tax agents of the town into her home but is adamant that she "owes no taxes in Jefferson". She advises the tax collectors to consult Colonel Sartoris concerning the matter, as he had previously explained to her that a loan made to the town by her father relieved her of her tax obligations. Despite the death of Colonel Sartoris some ten years prior, Emily "vanquishes" the tax collectors by refusing to accept liability for her taxes.
             Miss Emily's physical appearance is described as "bloated like a body that has been too long in still water." The language Faulkner uses in this description introduces the reader to the subject of death and the image of a corpse. Miss Emily's appearance suggests that she has become corpse-like in life due to a proximity to the corpse of her beau over a long period of time, as we discover at the close of the story.


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