“Weak” And Emily

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In “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner the men within the work are portrayed to be “weak” and Emily, the main female character, is displayed as a strong independent female. As the story develops this is supported and proven by the interactions Emily has with the other characters, especially the male characters, as she does not justify herself or give the men reasons for her actions. This is a very important detail to the story because this fact emphasizes that Emily is a “dominant” female character; strong willed females are highly contradictory to how most women acted during the time period in which this story was written.

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Furthermore, the male characters being represented as “weak” is unique to this story because during this time period a majority of men were seen as the providers of the family; as a result men were normally considered to be in charge and “dominant.” While men are typically seen as the stronger and more important gender between males and females, there are both females and males alike who contradict the set standards and beliefs of the different time periods.

Both of these gender contradictions are shown in the story from the many interactions between the characters; the communications between Emily and the male characters being the most prevalent.

There are many interactions throughout the story between the characters that support the idea that Emily is a strong lady who is firm and unyielding in her beliefs. For example, as the group of men try to explain and force her to pay taxes Emily does not allow them coerce her to do anything; in fact, she tells them to leave her house, “So SHE vanquished them” (Faulkner 2).

As a result of not allowing the men to pressure her into paying taxes to the town Emily further demonstrates how she is immovable in her ideas, and how she will not conform to the standards that everyone believes she should. A second example of Emily being a strong woman is when she does not back down from the druggist when she attempts to purchase poison because she “look[ed] him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic” (Faulkner 3). From not answering the druggist’s question of what she wanted the arsenic for Emily points out that she is able to stand up for herself, and that she will not answer someone unless she wants to answer them on her own. A third example that acknowledges Emily is not a weak willed woman is the fact that she is still proud and carries herself respectively, even when the other townsfolk believe that she is fallen, “She carried her head high enough… she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity” (Faulkner 3). By composing herself in this manner Emily exhibits the ability to ignore what others assume of her and that only her opinion matters.

Besides her interactions with the characters, Emily’s actions and attitude also establish her strength of character. In reply to the letter she received about her taxes Emily wrote back that “she no longer went out at all,” and also the “tax notice was also enclosed, without comment” (Faulkner 1). These two actions further assist in illustrating that Emily will not let anyone dictate her actions, and that she is an independent thinker who will not give control of her life to another person.. Emily is also very persistent that she does not receive a mailbox for free mail delivery which is revealed when she “refused to let them fasten the metal numbers above her door and attach a mailbox to it” (Faulkner 4). Resisting the attempts to have a mailbox fastened on her house presents how she does not let anyone control her, and that she makes her own decisions about what is and what is not allowed on her property. From her interactions with the male characters, and her attitudes and beliefs Emily demonstrates how she is unyielding and firmly resolute in every choice she makes.

The men within the story are shown to lack a strong will which is pointed out by the contact they have with the other characters. For example, when the group of men try to explain to Emily that she needs to pay taxes to the town she continuously interrupts them and they do not try to fight back, 'But, Miss Emily--' (Faulkner 1). This unwillingness to fight back against a female character and have their point made to her emphasizes their weakness to a certain extent. A second example of weak men within the work is when the neighbors of Miss Emily complain to Judge Stevens about the smell radiating from her house, 'But what will you have me do about it, madam?' (Faulkner 2). By asking the complaining lady what should he do about the smell it is demonstrated that the men are substandard in power because he sought out the opinion of a female rather than making his own decision. Furthermore, the men were only able to deal with the smell from Emily’s house after darkness fell, “So the next night, after midnight, four men crossed Miss Emily’s lawn” (Faulkner 2). By investigating and dealing with smell only after night had fallen where the men would have been unable to be seen the men draw attention to their timidness in facing Emily head on. Rather than being courageous and figuring out how to remove the smell during the day they wait until she is asleep at night so they can avoid her. A third example of weak men within the story is that the men are “unable to exert their authority” to recover the body of Emily’s father for burial (Kirchdorfer 3). The men were only able to gather the body from her house after she broke down; before that the men were so weak that “they were about to resort to law and force” (Faulkner 2). This weakness illustrates the men’s timidness and that they do not try very hard to assert themselves or make themselves heard. While most of the men are shown to be timid and weak one exception can be seen in Emily’s deceased father. Emily’s father did not allow her to date anyone and chased her suitors away which is why he is the exception to the weak men shown in this story. Emily’s father “controls her as much as he controls a horse” which can be inferred from the picture in which he had his back to her and was clutching a horsewhip (Sura M. 3).

In conclusion, while men are traditionally seen as the stronger members of the human race, there are individuals who do not fit the common idea and standard that is accepted by the world. There are many men who are seen as weaker by the rest of society, and there are also countless women who are viewed as hardy beings. These individuals are seen the way they are due to their likes, dislikes, hobbies, their ways of dressing, and many other things. From Emily being represented as a resolute woman who is not easily swayed by others, and from the male characters being displayed as timid and spineless, the author is making the point that not all humans fit the accepted normal social role that society follows. The purpose of this is to point out how even if society attempts to conform everyone, not everyone will follow uniformly. As a result of these points the author draws attention to the fact that everyone should re-evaluate how they view weak men, and strong men. Furthermore, while these people may be different and do not conform to how the world believes they should act they are no less human than anyone else on the planet.