A Rose for Emily

I read the story and I missed out on many points that we discussed in class.  I realized that this critical reading is deeper than I imagined.  I realized that the title has significant meaning and roles in the short stories.  So does the setting, times and dates which the stories were written.  I also realized that the symbolism and perception of not just the author but also the characters within the story are also critical factors.
I did not realize that a rose had never been mentioned in the text only the title.  I did not know what the rose meant.  How many ways we could look at the rose itself.  I now see that the rose is beautiful when blossomed.  What makes a rose beautiful is the quality of nutrients of the dirt it grows in and the amount of sunshine.  The dirt was Mrs. Emily.  She was a bad woman.  She was crazy, she committed murder, she also slept with a dead body for years.  Prior to that she wanted to keep her fathers remains as well.  She did not see her father as a dead person and probably did not see the love of her life as dead either.
She also represented the old southern way of living.  The hierarchy of upperclass white people and family names of the south having value.  The Old Confederacy Nobility she had the snobby attitude that went with it.  She refused to pay taxes.  Although the war was over and times had changed, she clung to that way of life.  Not only did she smell bad but so was her attitude/personality.
The rose like anything else when it is cut it  begin to die.  Emily was cut after her fathers death.  She lost it.  She lost everything and begin to cling to everything like a hoarder.  A rose is beautiful but it has thorns and if you grab the rose it will prick you.  Just like Emily.  A rose is also given to the dead, and the flower of choice at funerals.  A rose is fitting to be given to Emily at her death, for living such a pitiful life.