A Rose for Emily

Oh, Faulkner! I. Love. Him. I love his ability to explore the crazy side of humanity, in such a real and believable way. Nobody finishes this story by saying "no way, that wouldn't happen". Instead, we all say "Emily's a fruitcake! Crazy old bat slept next to (and maybe even with, for all we know) a dead man, not once, but for YEARS!" What drove her to do it? Emily's life is ruled by time, it haunts her throughout the story. When the men of the town come to visit her late in life, they even hear the ticking of the clock hidden at the end of the gold chain. The years go ticking past her, second by second, as her hair begins to fade shade by shade to grey. Who hasn't wanted to freeze that one perfect moment of happiness for ever? And Emily does-she beats time by stopping it for the one glimmer of happiness, or possibly even existence she possessed when she kills Homer Baron, and keeps him to herself. For all the effort Emily goes to for preserving that moment, it is only in death that the two are ever together, and even then, time goes on.