"A Rose for Emily"

In "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner the story is being told by the town’s people. In the beginning of the story the narrator says, "Our whole town went" (206) and throughout the rest of the story the narrator uses phrases like, "we were" (209 and "we watched" (211). As the narrator the town’s people are telling about their experiences with Emily whether it is in the present at her funeral and going into her house for the first time or in the past when they would see her walking around town or going to the store to get poison. The way that the story goes back and forth makes me as a reader get the notion that the town’s people have been watching Emily for a long time and it gives me the sense that Emily is an outsider in the town. While Emily's father was alive he drove the young men away from her (208) so when he died the only person close to her was Homer. Emily killed Homer with the poison and I believe that she did this because she was afraid of being all alone and she did not want him to leave again (210). Emily wanted Homer to be with her forever so that she did not have to be alone. I think that this is evident when the pillow next to the body of Homer is found with a piece of Emily's hair (212).