A Rose for Emily

Although the story does not reveal the narrator's identity completely, it provides many clues as to the narrator's relationship to Miss Emily and the narrator's gender. In paragraph one, the phrase "our whole town went to her funeral" allows us to believe that the narrator is a fellow citizen of Miss Emily's hometown. The narrator states that after the death of Miss Emily's father, "all the ladies prepared to call" and continues on to say that "Miss Emily met them at the door" (paragraph 27). If all the ladies called at her house and the narrator is not one of them, it is safe to assume that the narrator is male. This conclusion is further supported by the narrator's diction in describing the actions of the ladies in the town versus his word choice in describing the men's actions. In the first paragraph, the men are reported to have gone to the funeral out of "respectful affection," while the ladies "went out of curiosity to see the inside of her house." Paragraph 15 states that "a few ladies had the temerity [which means rashness] to call" in the years after the death of Miss Emily's father, and paragraph 54 describes the ladies who called after Miss Emily's own death as having "hushed, sibilant [synonymous with hissing] voices." In these cases, as well as others in the story, women are seen as careless busybodies. Men, however, are characterized in the story by their tendency to respect Miss Emily's privacy, as is evidenced by the actions of Judge Stevens in paragraphs 17-24 as well as those of the Baptist minister in paragraph 44.
The narrator's gender, as well as his stereotypical characterizations of the men from this historical period as being hesitant to become involved in other people's affairs, may play a part in developing the matter-of-fact tone applied in telling this story. The fact that the story is not told in chronological order leads the reader to believe that the narrator is using the events of the past to reflect upon a recent event (Miss Emily's death). He is able to pursue this reflection because he has obviously lived in Miss Emily's town for many years and knows much about her circumstances, as is revealed through the detailed accounts of interactions with Miss Emily woven into this tale.
Miss Emily denies that her father is dead for three days after he has passed away, and those who visit her sense no sign of grief or mourning (paragraph 27). This leads the reader to believe that Miss Emily may be struggling with a mental illness. It also reveals Miss Emily's tendency to want to hold on to the things that are precious to her. Both of these factors may have led to Miss Emily's decision to poison her lover. Perhaps she wanted so desperately to preserve their love that, in her delusional mind, she thought poisoning him would allow her to keep him and control him for the rest of her life.