Analysis of "A Rose for Emily"
            
             In William Faulkner's short story, "A Rose for Emily," obsession plays a key role
            
             in the developing personality of the protagonist, Emily Grierson. Because Emily was
            
             never allowed to be independent and self-sufficient growing up, she goes to great lengths
            
             to preserve companionship and deter her loneliness later on in life. Faulkner illustrates
            
             Emily's desire for company by focusing on her obsessive and psychotic tendencies.
            
             At the death of her father, Emily is thrown into a state of denial. She refuses to
            
             release his body to be buried because, in her own mind, she believes that he is actually not
            
             deceased. The day after her father's death, the ladies of the neighborhood come to the
            
             Grierson home to console Emily. She, however, "[meets] them at the door, dressed as
            
             usual and with no trace of grief on her face" (29). Emily's father has always been there
            
             for her, even when she does not want him to be. Therefore, she can not accept the fact
            
             that he is now gone and she is alone.
            
             After recovering from her father's death, Emily still does not let go of him
            
             completely. Even after his passing, she keeps a "crayon portrait" of him to watch over her
            
             through the years. This portrait is referred to during significant events in the story. It is
            
             present when the Board of Aldermen come to see Emily concerning her unpaid taxes. The
            
             portrait is also present when Homer Barron first enters the Grierson home.
            
             Another example of Emily's unhealthy obsession is observed in her relationship
            
             with Homer Barron. Since he is the only boyfriend Emily has ever known, she falls for
            
             him quickly and wishes for them to be married. Homer, on the other hand, feels
            
             differently about the situation. Homer remarks that he "[is] not a marrying man" (30). ...