A Rose for Emily

Change is inevitable in the lives of human beings, the circumstances in which an individual is leading hisher life in present times is bound to change in the future. The ability to accept changes in ones life is significant for an individual to adapt himselfherself to the various circumstances in hisher life. If a person is unable to accept the changes that have occurred in hisher life or the society in which heshe is leading hisher life, it may have a detrimental effect on the thinking and behavior of the individual. The short story A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner depicts the troubled state of mind of the protagonist who refuses to accept the changes in her life. The protagonist, Emily Grierson is so attached to her past that she fails to take notice of the changes in her present life.

The story opens with the narrators words regarding Emilys death and her isolated life. The conversation that takes place among the people gathered for the funeral brings forth the
kind of life led by Emily, and also provides the reasons for the recluse life led by Emily. Emily refuses to accept changes in her life and therefore she is unable to connect with her society which
has undergone numerous changes. The first instance, where Emilys failure to accept changes in her life is perceptible, is during the death of her father. She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body.  (Faulkner). Emily refuses to accept that her father has died and therefore forbids the people from carrying her fathers body for burial.

Emilys denial to accept changes is noticeable once again when the city authorities pay a visit to her house to collect taxes from her. When asked by the city authorities to pay her taxes, she replies, I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained it to me. Perhaps one of you can gain access to the city records and satisfy yourselves. (Faulkner). Colonel Sartoris has told Emily that she had no taxes to pay after the death of her father, for her father has lend some money to the town and the town would return that money by remitting her taxes. As Emily believes Colonel Sartoris words, she never pays her taxes. She fails to realize that ten years have passed by since Colonel Sartoris has died. Emilys behavior and attitude is shaped by her past, and so she ignores the changes in her present. Like she refuses to accept the death of her father, she also insists that Colonel Sartoris is alive and the city authorities should meet him instead of asking her to pay her taxes.

Emilys death brings one more aspect of her life before the people, which reinforces the notion that she is unable to accept changes. When people enter Emilys house after her death, they find the corpse of her lover on her bed. Emily not only kills Homer but also sleeps beside his corpse till the end of her life. Emily is not ready to accept the fact that Homer Barron never intended to marry her. Emily had expected that Homer would propose her but when he failed to do so, she kills him and keeps his body near her in an attempt to save her life from being changed. Years of isolation has turned Emily into a depressed and eccentric woman who kills the man she loves so that she can have him forever. Her inability to accept changes results in a situation where she has to resort to killing Homer to have him in her life forever.

Emilys refusal to accept her fathers death and her rejection to pay taxes, points towards her repudiation of changes which have occurred in her life. She is unable to accept the fact that her life and society around her has changed a lot, and she should change her attitudes and behavior to lead her life in accordance to these changes. It is this refusal to accept changes that incites Emily to kill Homer and have his corpse beside her in her bed. As Emily is unable to accept the changes in her life and her society, she leads an isolated life. Emily clings so firmly to her past that she loses her grip on her present life.