Diagnosing Miss Emily in William Faulkners A Rose For Emily

In William Faulkners A Rose For Emily there is more than enough evidence to determine that Miss Emily is mentally ill. Most of the clues and hints are subtle, but when they are all pieced together the puzzle becomes clear. Not saying it is clear as too what Miss Emily was suffering from, the only way to know that for certain would be if the author or narrator told us in the text. We can conclude, however, she was suffering from some form of mental illness. Miss Emily was seen as a recluse and odd, but what no one in the town knew was that she couldnt help it there was more going on with her then people could see. By the story’s conclusion, the reader can go back through the story and identify many episodes where Miss Emily behavior†¦show more content†¦When Miss Emily refuses to respond to a government letter regarding her taxes the Board of Alderman comes to visit her. When she comes in she is cold to the gentlemen, showing her lack of social skills which in many cases is a factor in mental Illness. Also before Miss Emily makes the guests leave she tells the, that if they still think she has taxes they need to see Colonel Sartoris, (Faulkner 149) who has been dead ten years. This statement by Miss Emily could be seen as her minds unwillingness to live in the present. Her mind belives what it wants which is also the case after her fathers death. We see in the book that after her father’s death and her subsequent breakdown, Miss Emily was â€Å"sick for a long time. This could mean the state that Miss Emily refused to believe her father was gone. Right after the death o f her father, the ladies of the town come to Miss Emily’s home to offer their condolences, and they observe that she had â€Å"no trace of grief on her face† (Faulkner 151). The inability to either feel or demonstrate appropriate emotion, is a classic symptom of mental illness. More explicitly, Miss Emily insisted to the visitors that â€Å"her father was not dead† (Faulkner 151). For this reason, Miss Emily would not let anyone remove her fathers body until three days after her father should have been buried. Finally the third day â€Å"she broke down† and let the townspeople remove the body quicklyShow MoreRelatedWilliam Faulkners A Rose for Emily Essay1382 Words   |  6 PagesDownward Spiral: An Analysis of â€Å"A Rose for Emily† In William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† the main character of the story is Miss Emily Grierson. To analyze and examine her character, it is almost impossible not to look at the psychological aspect of it. Through the narrative of Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† Miss Emily’s behavior and character is revealed as outright strange from any average standard of characters. A few days after they lay Miss Emily’s body to rest, the townspeopleRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner1829 Words   |  8 PagesBaker Layton ENG 2212 1 May 2016 Miss Emily Grierson, the main character in William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† is definitely an odd character by the standards of an average reader. The character analysis of Miss Emily could follow any number of roads. It would be hard as a reader not to examine her from a psychological perspective as well as within the context that surrounds the character. Throughout the short story of Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† Miss Emily’s peculiar and unstableRead MoreWilliam Faulkner s A Rose For Emily1771 Words   |  8 PagesWilliam Faulkner’s short story, â€Å"A Rose for Emily† begins and ends with death. The death of Miss Emily Grierson, the main character in the short story that takes on the role of a person with an abnormal personality. The narrator tells the tale of Miss Emily’s life following her departure at age seventy four. Although, Miss Emily lived a long life she remained secluded for decades w ithout any human contact. Miss Emily’s mental health is certainly a questionable matter considering the life she leads