Skip to main content

In "A Rose for Emily," what event clarifies information about the smell that comes from Emily's house?

In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the foul smell creates a sense of mystery, which lends itself to the Southern Gothic tradition throughout the story. The smell acts as a topic of debate among the members of Miss Emily's town and allows the reader to gain perspective as to how a person like Miss Emily would have been treated during the time in which the story was written. Although she lets herself go as the story progresses, her community still treats her respectfully, as Emily's family has a privileged tradition in her town. Therefore, as the smell grows more and more potent, rather than directly addressing Miss Emily about it, the community handles the smell with the utmost sensitivity. The final scene in which the narrator investigates Miss Emily's attic after her passing reveals the source of the rancid smell which emanated from her house years prior: Homer Barron's corpse.

Furthermore, throughout the story smell acts as foreshadowing. The first mention of any kind of smell is in the first section when the narrator describes Emily's house as having "smelled of dust and disuse--a close, dank smell" (n.p.). This passage acts as foreshadowing of the smell mentioned in the next section.


Due to repeated complaints from the town regarding the rancid smell coming from Miss Emily's house, four men entered her property to sprinkle lime in the cellar and the outbuildings to discretely and politely take care of it. As the men were leaving, they notice a light come on and a stiff figure sitting in the window. At this point in the story, both the characters and the reader assume the figure to be Miss Emily. However, the smell acts once again as foreshadowing to the final section of the story. 


After Miss Emily passes away, the narrator and other unspecified characters investigate the room upstairs, which had been a vacant mystery for many years. Through the heavy layers of dust, they discover the silver monogrammed men's toiletry set and men's clothing that Miss Emily had purchased earlier in the story. Much to their shock, they also discover the corpse of Homer Barron, who had courted Miss Emily and had gone missing years prior.


This passage confirms that the horrible smell that came from Miss Emily's house as well as the stiff figure that the men saw in the window the night they spread the lime was in fact Homer Barron.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more