William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily": reasons why Emily poisons and preserves Homer Barron

Not Wanting To Let Go In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily", the character Emily is one that is often portrayed by women. Women tend to get more easily attached to people and things in general than men do. Women want to feel secure, be comforted, and have someone to tell them that, "Everything is going to be okay." Emily sees the characteristics of her father in Homer Barron, a man who can bring her …

…is a constant struggle in Emily's life. The repressions of Emily's father and the love that Emily could never have from Homer Barron makes it hard for her to let things go in life. In the end, it leads her to poison and preserve Homer Barron. Homer's dead body is like an old, single "rose" kept in remembrance from a special memory. The "rose" was the only personal contact she had outside of her father.