A Rose for Emily :: A Rose For Emily, William Faulkner

â€Å"She would not listen to them (795),† but they listened to her. They listened and watched throughout all of Miss Emily’s life – scowling, sympathizing, and, sometimes, they even smiled for her. These ever-watchful beings, the curious citizens of Jefferson, share and provide a backbone to this twisted tale in William Faulkner’s gothic short story, A Rose For Emily; though the views cast about Miss Emily differ significantly by generation and gender, their opinion conveyed as a whole expresses that they view Miss Emily as a shocking, unacceptable and â€Å"fallen (792)† being. Faulkner’s emphasis on narration drives the mystery farther. Along with the disturbing secret Emily hides, Faulkner conceals the identity of the narrator or narrators. The townsfolk, as a whole, are the narrator, yet throughout the piece it is suggested that the spokesperson for the town changes. For example, in part I, the narration appears to be from a member of the older generation as he or she observes the â€Å"next generation, with its more modern ideas (788)† come to a dissatisfactory conclusion about a resolution for the odor coming from Miss Emily’s estate. However, in part IV it is suggested that the narrator for the townspeople is a woman worrying keening about Emily’s relationship, her material purchases, and the details of her decaying looks. The pronoun â€Å"we† is used instead of â€Å"I† proposing that the opinions stated are the general consensus of the entire town – such as â€Å"we believed that she was fallenâ⠂¬  – the entire town sees her as a failure of what she could have been. When the pronoun â€Å"I† is utilized, this typically expresses that the speaker using â€Å"I† is against the wants of the townsperson speaking or possibly the entirety of the town. â€Å"I† is primarily used by Miss Emily, proving her to be an outcast in the eyes of her society. Judge Stevens also speaks in the first person singular when he fight to defend Miss Emily’s respect – feeling the actions suggested are not â€Å"necessary (790).† The different citizens mold the reader’s thoughts and emotions towards Emily - being as the townsfolk are the reason the story exists. They are an essential part of Emily’s story and thusly their views, whether fully believable or not, must be taken into account on the mystery case that is Miss Emily’s life. The people of Jefferson have always held a certain curiosity for the events in Emily’s life and despite the years the curiosity continued.