Post-colonial A Rose for Emily

 A Post-Colonial interpretation of “A Rose for Emily”, written by Mia Hutchinson

Miss Emily Gibson was a strange woman and the main focus in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”. She spends her days isolated, away from the rest of her town while being lucky enough to not have to work due to her fortune and house left by her father. With the story being set somewhere around the 1930’s, Miss Emily’s character does not reflect the women's expectations of the time. Women were expected to either start working or take care of the homestead. Miss Emily was neither working nor had a family, so she was more or less left to her own devices and not taken seriously within her community. The postcolonial theory in literature is used to highlight and further understand the oppression of minorities. In “A Rose for Emily”, Emily is both the oppressed and the oppressor from a wealth, race and societal standpoint. She is a woman who is not taken seriously in her community. She is oppressed because she is family-less and is only listened to when a man is on her side. Her relationship with Homer, a common man who worked often, highlights her ability to take advantage of her situation. Emily also owns a slave and has an ability to avoid most consequences through death. 

From the beginning of “A Rose for Emily '', Emily Gibson is portrayed as nothing more than an odd stubborn old woman, who seemed to be more work than worth. “Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town, dating from that day in 1894 when Colonel Sartoris, the mayor” (Faulkner 327). During the 1930’s southern women were expected to submit to the men of the town and eventually be wed. Given the circumstances of Miss Emily’s lover fleeing her shortly after her fathers death, she was seldom seen and was ostracized by her community. The New York Historical Society says “More than ever, women were expected to roll up their sleeves and keep their homes and families running smoothly – and on a budget. Women without a family – either by choice or by circumstance – were often overlooked”. Miss Emily had no family and was not very inviting to visitors, not that anyone went and saw her. When talking about her, the townspeople would often say “Poor Emily”, and treat her as a victim of circumstance. Women were also expected to be fragile and flirtatious, while also staying sexually pure. People in society felt an obligation to comment on women’s personal lives, and viewing them as less-than compared to men. This is seen when a group of men question Miss Emily on her taxes, not leaving until Tobe, a man, escorts them out. 

While being a victim, Miss Emily was also an oppressor in her own way. It was assumed that after her fathers death, she was left a great fortune and grand house, however it was never confirmed if Emily was truly wealthy. Emily was able to own a black butler or foot servant, Tobe. Even though the story takes place after the civil war, it was still common for black people to be house slaves or servants for white people. Emily was also viewed as odd and obsolete. This allowed Homer, her assumed lover, to disappear without much question. Homer was a common “Northern day-laborer”, and was from a wealth standpoint, under Miss Emily. Emily had also disappeared around the same time however, so it was concluded that they left together. While they eventually returned, Homer entered the house once more and was never seen again. Emily then retreated back into her home with only Tobe entering and exiting the house for errands. After her death and funeral, a group of men entered her house, where it was discovered Homer had died in her house.  Being a wealthy white woman, or rather having the appearance of wealth, allowed Emily to be a private citizen and more or less “get away” with her actions towards Homer. She uses her assumed privilege to isolate herself from society, and when questioned about her purchase of rat poison before Homer’s death, she is simply written off as suicidal. Not only because of her societal standing, but also because of her race and personality, Miss Emily was able to oppress and take advantage of those around her and get away with it through death. 

Throughout “A Rose for Emily”, Emily Gibson both is oppressed and the oppressor. In her community, she is looked down upon for her lack of family, her age and how she interacts with others. She is also a woman around the 1930’s, where she was expected to stay fragile and innocent, and was often not taken seriously. Being a woman, she was only taken seriously with the help of a man. While being a victim, she was also victimizing and taking advantage of other people around her. Her servant, Tobe, was a black man and expected to do the majority of the day to day tasks. Homer, her assumed lover, was not as well off as Emily and was a literal victim, being killed in Emily's home and being found later on decomposing in her bed.

 Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.”Using Critical Theory. Available from: VitalSource   Bookshelf,            (3rd Edition). Taylor & Francis, 2020, pp. 327-334. 

Boomer, Lee. “The Great Depression.” Women & the American Story, Unknown, 21 Jan. 2023, wams.nyhistory.org/confidence-and-crises/great-depression/.

Baidya, Tushar Kanti. “Characteristics of Miss Emily in ‘A Rose for Emily.’” Medium, enhcbd, 5 Aug. 2020, medium.com/enhcbd/characteristics-of-miss-emily-in-a-rose-for-emily-bc2b6540c49d#:~:text=POSTCOLONIAL%20STRUCTURE,-Postcolonial%20criticism%20can&text=In%20the%20story%2C%20Emily%20was,still%20there%20in%20the%20society.