Author's Purpose
Why does the author narrate the story from the perspective of the townspeople?
To show how gossip & speculation shape the perception of others.
How does the story begin?
With Miss Emily's funeral
Who does Miss Emily say to speak to when the spokesman says they have no documentation for her non-taxed home?
Colonel Sartoris
Who is Homer Barron?
A foreman, a Yankee
As the newer generations came took over the town, what did Miss Emily refuse to be put on her house?
Address numbers & a mailbox
What is the author's purpose in portraying the townspeople as a collective narrator?
To critique the invasive curiosity and judgment of small-town life
Why did the women of the town mainly attend the funeral?
To be nosy & see the inside of her house.
Who lived with Miss Emily after her father’s death & her lover deserted her?
A servant
What fact is there about Homer that causes the town to think, “Poor Emily” once again?
That Homer was homosexual and was to marry or at least date Emily anyway.
What did the town notice about Miss Emily in her house?
She blocked off the 2nd floor
Why does the author include the scene where Emily buys arsenic?
To build suspense and create ambiguity about her intentions
What did the mayor remit for Miss Emily?
Taxes on her house
What were the townspeople complaining about to Judge Stevens?
A smell coming from Emily's house
What items did Miss Emily buy for Homer that made the town believe they were married?
Toilet set with H.B monogrammed
Men's clothing: nightshirt
How did the men speak about Miss Emily?
Lied that they courted her & were contemporaries of her.
What is the significance of the story's title, A Rose for Emily?
It symbolizes the town’s respect and pity for Emily’s life
What was the next generation of the city's government dissatisfied with?
Miss Emily wasn't paying taxes on her house.
Why was Miss Emily nonchalant & pretended everything was fine the day after father's death?
She did not want to accept change, didn't want to be vulnerable, she was mentally unwell.
Why does the town believe that “it would be the best thing” if Miss Emliy killed herself?
Her health was declining, setting a bad example for the young people, and she was lonely with a crush on a gay man.
What was inextricable about the body in the bed?
The night shirt & the flesh of the body
Why does the author choose to use a non-linear timeline?
To create a suspense by withholding key details until the end
What did Miss Emily's father do for the town that remitted their taxes?
Loaned money to the town.
How does the relationship with her father shape Miss Emily's life?
Is isolated her & created little to no social skills.
What does it mean when the older ladies of the town said, “grief could not cause a real lady to forget a noblesse oblige…”?
That Emily’s relationship with Homer is only a “generosity” and charity to him due to his class, which is lower than Emily’s.
A pity relationship
Why is the 2nd pillow in the bed a big deal?
It has a head indention & an iron gray hair