Emily Grierson is the protagonist in the story " A Rose For Emily" written by William Faulkner. Emily, is an eccentric, unmarried, lonely, and sad person whos pride and loneliness cause her to murder her lover and persue endless love. Her family's position in the town used to be very prestiges. Mainly because of her fathers money. Since Emily's father is dead she has to make do with what little money she has got. While her father was alive he loaned money to the town. So, when he died the Mayor; Colonel Sartoris said that Emily did not have to pay taxes on the property as a repayment of her father's loan. However, years go by, Colonel Sartoris dies, and the new Mayor and Alderman are not happy with this arrangement. Nonetheless, when a Deputy of the Alderman from the Town of Jefferson comes to collect the money they think their owed he treats her with respect, even though she still refuses to pay. We learn about Emily's character through the narrations of one of the town members who tells the story from a perspective of something similar to a "nosy neighbor" embelishing on every rumor and giving their interperatation on Emily's behavior.The rumors really start to go around when the town finds out about Emily's love interest Homer. Emily falls in love with Homer and wants to marry him but Homer does not want to get married, and informs Emily that he is leaving her. The relationship is very controversial for the era the story is set in. Emily is a sophisticated southerner, and Homer is a bluecollar Northerner for this reason alone the relationship was considered taboo, not to mention also during this era the North and South are still not on the best terms.However, the relationship is a perfect example of the plot of the story, which is old versus new. The South reprisents the old, and how things used to be. The North reprisents the new and the way things are to become. Emily is resistent to all of the new until she meets Homer. Homer tries to deny Emily of something she wants which is to spend forever with him. Emily, in the past was never denied anything and is not going to let herself be denied now. Emily remained a mystery because of the way the town person chooses to tell the story, the narrator knows that Homer was murdered when he started to tell the story but does not reveal that information until the end of the story giving the reader a little surprise.
