Faulkner. "A Rose for Emily". Reading questions

  1. In the first paragraph of the story, we see that Faulkner uses a first person plural narrator. Why do you think Faulkner prefers this?
  2. Why is Miss Emily Grierson described as "a fallen monument"? Monument to what?
  3. What hints are given in Section I that "A Rose for Emily" takes place in the South?
  4. Why does the Board of Aldermen send a delegation to Miss Emily's house?
  5. What could Miss Emily's house represent? Comment on the narrator's description of the house in the first and the fifth paragraphs.
  6. Describe and discuss the symbolism of Miss Emily's house.
  7. What do you think was the relationship between the daughter and the father.
  8. What is the significance of Miss Emily's actions after the death of her father?
  9. Why doesn't Judge Stevens want to confront Miss Emily about "the smell"?
  10. How does the narrator describe Homer Barron?
  11. What does the term "noblesse oblige" mean?
  12. What events cause some of the townspeople to say "Poor Emily"?
  13. What do we learn about the attitude of the community towards the relationship between Homer Barron and Miss Emily in Part 3?
  14. What else do we learn about the Jefferson community's reaction towards the relationship between Homer and Emily in the first four paragraphs of Part 4?
  15. What change took place in Miss Emily's relationship with the town for a period of several years when Miss Emily was in her forties?
  16. Look closely at the second paragraph in section five. What does this paragraph suggest about the nature of people's memories of the past?
  17. What are some of the older men wearing at Miss Emily's funeral?
  18. What kinds of objects are found in the room upstairs once it is opened?
  19. What is found on the pillow next to the skeleton?
  20. Why is the second pillow on the bed important? What does it show to us? What was Emily's motive for her action.
  21. Why does the narrator scramble the chronology of events in the story?
  22. What type of woman is represented through Miss Emily Grierson?
  23. Find some references to social class in the story and discuss what these might indicate about the social and historical context in the story.
  24. What details foreshadow the conclusion of the story?
  25. What does Emily and her family represent for the townspeople and the narrator?
  26. What factors shaped Emily Grierson's personality?