Reader Response Criticism: “A Rose for

Emily”
“A Rose for Emily’’ is a mysterious horror story of Miss Emily Grierson of small town. The
story is written in very unusual & interesting style. The events are not pictured in a chronological
manner. The readers have to think little more for understanding the scenario. The main character
of story Emily has just died. She is rarely seen by the townspeople, which causes whisperings
and rumors about what she is up to. This story is based on rumors, whisperings, and half-facts.
Her father died and her lover is also leaving her. Emily is scared of loneliness & become anti-
social. Everyone is curious to see inside of her house as no one visits her for the longest time.
Upon visiting her home they are acquainted with something so terrible to believe. Reader
response criticism, can be helpful for readers to analyze the story A Rose for Emily” by
William Faulkner all the way through character, anthropology & secrets.

Considering the situation of Emily it is very painful to lose close person. People confront a sense
of refutation, and seems as if it is not real. Emily didn’t accept the death of her father. She let
know people that her father is alive & wasn’t dead. And in her head she believed that was true.
Emily didn’t want to take her father’s body. She was acting like a hoarder. Everyone believes
that she was acting normally & no one considers her crazy. It is one thing to grieve & hold onto a
person in your heart but to physically keeping body in home is insane. Emily was left alone &
hopeless as her father was the only person she had. Emily’s lover wanted to back out making
things more difficult for Emily. She couldn’t bring herself to believe it is real. Her father was the
only person she really had. Emily was facing more than just grief. Emily was left alone with no
hope & she didn’t know how to be a part of society. Emily wanted to hold on to the past, which is
destroying her.There is a hidden message in “A Rose for Emily” about change. She doesn’t take
change well. Her lover wanted change and Emily was not ready for it as she already lose her
father. She didn’t take it lightly & kill Homer. She is scared of loneliness and to stop it from
happening she commits murder of her lover. Emily’s resistance to change left her hopeless in this
world. She broke down because something changed in her life. . She wasn’t familiar with how to
accept changes in life which drive her crazy. For all the time change is not a bad thing. To me
 change is significant because when things are not good one can know that it will get better. Emily
did not realize that change can be good. She ends up more lonely than before. Emily was self
destructing. Her father didn’t help her to face society. She didn’t know how to live on her own &
become dependent. The way of raising a child influences decisions or action of child later in life.
Emily’s childhood really took a toll on her “grown-up” life.

References:

"A rose for Emily, reader response."StudyMoose, 7 Apr 2016,https://studymoose.com/a-rose-for-

emily-reader-response-essay

"A rose for emily: readers response. Samsno,

https://samuelsnowcronin.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/reading-response-4-a-rose-for-emily/