How Emily’s Rose Grows

How Emily’s Rose Grows

“A Rose for Emily” is told out of chronological order. This use of time allows Faulkner to build suspense and allows him to tell the story without completely giving away the ending (or the middle to be chronologically correct). Throughout the text, Faulkner foreshadows what has happened, but it does not become apparent until the end. If Faulkner had chosen to tell this tale in the correct chronological order, the impact of the story would not have the same effect on the reader. Faulkner’s use of flashbacks leaves the readers on the edge of their seat and allows them to think about what might have happened instead of just coming out and telling them straightforwardly.

First, Faulkner begins the story with Miss Emily Grierson’s funeral then he proceeds to inform us about Miss Emily’s past. This is the first flashback. This shift informs the reader a little bit about Emily’s character. In this particular scene, the reader is informed about Emily not paying her taxes. Emily tells the city authorities, “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”. When confronted by the authorities Emily insists they go talk to Colonel Sartoris who has been dead for almost ten years. This is the first clue to the reader that Emily has trouble letting go of the past. Emily’s struggle to hold onto things is an essential part of her character that connects her directly to the ending of the story.

In the second section of the story, the reader experiences another leap out of chronological order. Faulkner is now informing the reader about the smell which is emitting from Miss Emily’s house. At this point in the tale, the readers are unaware of Miss Emily’s courtship with Homer Barron. At first, the reader does not associate the bad smell with Mr. Barron’s rotting corpse, but at the end of the story, it is perfectly clear what is causing such a horrible odor around the house. This is a perfect example of how Faulkner is foreshadowing the ending. Faulkner’s choice to reveal the smell at this point in the story gives the reader insight to what has happened to Homer Barron without directly stating Homer’s horrible fate.

Moving on to the next section of the story, we are finally introduced to the character of Homer Barron. This too is another flashback. Homer arriving in town actually happened before anything mentioned in previous paragraphs (the funeral and the horrible smell). In this section, we are also informed about Emily’s purchase of arsenic. Emily says to the druggist, “I want some poison…I want arsenic”. The druggist replies, “Why of course, if that is what you want. But the law requires you to tell what you are using it for”. This sale is another example of how Faulkner foreshadows the ending. The way in which Faulkner presents this information may lead the reader to believe that the poison is for Miss Emily, but actually, the arsenic is intended for Homer Barron.

Section four of the story actually follows section three without jumping out of chronological order, but it holds important key elements to the development of the story. At the beginning of this section, the reader is informed about Homer Barron’s character. Faulkner writes, “Homer himself had remarked- he liked men, and it was known that he