“Your absence has gone through me like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color.” This quote by William S. Merwin exemplifies grief, which is portrayed throughout the course of the short story “A Rose for Emily,” but with an uncanny twist. In William Faulkner’s short story Emily, the main character. She is an old woman living in a town called Jefferson with a southern upbringing. Devastated and alone after her father’s death, she is an object of pity for the townspeople with the only comfort coming from her servant Tobe. After a life of having potential suitors rejected by her father, she spends time after his death with a newcomer, Homer Barron. As they continue their relationship the chances of his marrying her decrease as the years pass. As the connection dies off Emily isn’t seen except for the occasional glimpse of her in the windows. Once she has passed the townspeople arrive to the conclusion to enter the house, ultimately finding something troubling. In “A Rose for Emily,” a rose for Emily, the strand of hair, and decay are symbols that provide a strong representation of grief throughout the short story demonstrating the prominence of the passing.
The first symbol that becomes recognized throughout “A Rose for Emily” is in the title itself. The rose for Emily is very symbolic for the reason that it represents the love that Emily was never able to capture and something more unsubstantiated. This caused for her to become a mysterious figure who changed from a vibrant and hopeful young girl to a cloistered and secretive old woman. Emily’s family was very southern orientated making their values carry over to Emily’s loved life. Her father, Mr. Grierson, believed that “None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such” (Faulkner, pg. 97). After struggling “Two years after her father's death and a short time after her