In his short story "A Rose for Emily", William Faulkner portrays an inescapable, impervious, tranquil, and perverse woman. Emily was born to a proud, aristocratic family sometime during the Reconstruction and the early twentieth century. She is portrayed as a woman who keeps to herself throughout her entire life. Her father's influence is most harmful and her first beau turns out to be an unfit partner. Little wonder that the story ends with two dead bodies in her decrepit and dirty house. One of the deceased is Homer Barron, Emily's first real lover. The other is Emily herself. A woman such as Emily is a tragedy. She would turn out to be a victim and a villain, as well as a mad woman.
             Emily is first of all a victim. Her father's overprotection is detrimental to her social development. For example, the community says "We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will" ( P133). Her father robs her of many of life's needs for healthy development. She misses out on having friends and opportunities to be happy and confident. As a result, Emily is not able to live a normal life which she indirectly blames on her father. Because she has been conditioned to always having her father present, she concludes that if she does not bury his body, he can still be a part of her life. Actually her father is a murderer because he is responsible for Emily's breakdown. She has been afraid her entire life and obviously never overcomes.
             Secondly, Emily is a villain because she kills Homer Barron, her first real beau. His relationship with Emily is considered scandalous because he is a Yankee construction foreman. Also, it does not appear that they will ever be married. Faulkner explains, "because Homer himself had marked-he liked men, and it was known that he d
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