Emily Grierson Mental Illness Essay

The main character Emily Grierson, is odd. Over the course of the story, her unpredictable behavior becomes weird. The townspeople as well as the reader is left trying to explain how Emily was able to sleep next to the corpse of Homer Barron. It is reasonable to think that Emily developed a mental illness as a response to the demanding conditions as a Southern Woman from a dignified family. While growing up, she obviously did not develop normal coping and defensive mechanisms. Things that most people could handle, she could not, and her mental state got worse over time. Emily lived many years as a loner. She withdrew herself from the community and lived in isolation. The story jumps over to many parts of her life. Faulkner tries to characterize

She was a monument to a time period and was the last person who represented the old south. She is old but respected and no one thinks that she is capable of doing anything wrong. The judge, lives in the new south but acts old south because he makes special exception to Emily. She does not pay taxes. People come by her house and confront her about it. However, when they saw her, they described her as, “About dead. Her eyes looked like coal, short and plump.” Her house has not been kept clean either. The exterior is falling apart, no one has dusted, and leather is cracked. Southern people do not show southern hospitality. She told them to ask Colonial Sortoris but he has been dead for 10 years. Death does not end an agreement she states. Or maybe she just does not believe that the colonel is dead. People in the community approach Judge Stephens about a complaint regarding a smell coming from Emily’s house. However, he does not do anything because it is Emily. The new south has no privileges for some and this is why people get mad at the judge. Another example of how Emily gets special treatment is when she goes to buy poison. She does not give a reason to buy it but the druggist allows the purchase with no questions asked. He pushed the law because it was Emily. Knowing that this could get him in trouble, the druggist sends the Negro to ring it to the counter. He can be sacrificed because his life is not