A Rose for Emily

A Rose for Emily written by William Faulkner was written in first-person plural point of view and it had a large impact on the chronology and descriptions present throughout the story. Because of the presence outside of her home, the group that seems to be telling this story must be the community that was able to witness all that had happened to this woman. This allowed for a lot of jumping around from what could be recalled by various people in the community. They together portrayed the characters very well. They gave Emily this pitied woman description through various ways. One present was the repetition of the phrase, "Poor Emily,"(286) mentioned by many people in the community for the situations that she was continually found in. The addition of the multiple instances that Emily presented herself as one that was above the law gave the reader a real sense for how overbearing Emily's presence was to those around her. People pitied her to a degree, but they also feared and respected her to a level that not many others received. She demanded her respect when she wanted the poison, refused to pay taxes, and also when they attempted to give her a mailing address. This really showed the side of Emily that was not giving in to change. This played an important role in revealing how she really tried to love Homer Barron despite the refusal that he offered. The characterization of Emily over the course of the play was significantly altered by the point of view.