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"A Rose For Emily" Study Questions—
- Why does the Board of Aldermen send a delegation to Miss Emily’s house?
- Why doesn’t Judge Stevens want to confront Miss Emily about “the smell”? What does this say about Southern attitudes about manners and politeness?
- What were the minister and the doctor trying to convince Miss Emily of doing after her father’s death? What does this tell us about Miss Emily?
- What do town members finally do about “the smell”?
5. Why is Homer in town? What kind of person do you think Homer is? How do you know?
6. Examine lines 154-172 on pp. 1071-71. What three things in this exchange with the druggist suggests that Miss Emily is mentally unbalanced?
7. What did Miss Emily buy from the town jeweler? Who do you think this is for and what does it suggest?
8. About how many years pass between the time of Homer Barron’s disappearance and Miss Emily’s death? What have the years since the disappearance been like for Miss Emily?
9. Why do you think Tobe disappears after Miss Emily's death and is never seen again?
10. Why do the townspeople wait until Miss Emily is “decently in the ground…” before opening the room upstairs? Why do you think they wait?
11. What kinds of objects are found in the room once it is opened? What might be significant about these objects?
12. What is found on the pillow next to the skeleton?
13. What factors in Emily’s life do you think contributed to her actions, particularly those towards Homer?
14. At the end of the story, find 2 examples of foreshadowing that clued the reader into the fact that something was amiss about Emily.
15. Consider what roses usually symbolize. Why do you think Faulkner titled this story
“A Rose for Emily”?
16. Examine the first and last paragraph of the story and make a list of 10 words which add to the gothic tone of the piece.
17. What is the point of view of the short story?
18. Benjamin Franklin said that only two things were certain in this world: death and taxes. Explain how these two are symbols in the story.
19. Explain the following symbols used in the story.
pocket watch
lime and arsenic
her house