In the short story “A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, the title mentions a rose; although it does not seem that the rose plays an important role in this story superficially. The word “rose” appears twice at the end of the story: when the town’s people break into her house and see valance curtains of faded rose color and the rose-shaded lights. In this case, the word “rose” is used in terms of color, not as a flower. In many stories, a title includes main ideas or things that are related to the contents of the story. Even though the author does not put much importance on the rose, it is a symbol of the situations and characteristics of Emily and the ironical contrasts in this story.
First, the rose is a symbol of Emily herself. In the past, roses were often given to people of higher status such as kings and queens. Readers can tell that Emily’s father has once held high status from the fact that he has a big house and loans money to the town. Therefore, the idea that she is a noblesse sticks in people’s minds despite the fact that she is not rich at all after her father’s death. She is always the one whom people gossip about. In other words, she gets the attention of people like the rose.
Second, the thorn of the rose is a symbol of another characteristic of Emily after her father’s death. She insists that she does not have to pay the taxes even though those people who made the decision that her family does not have to pay the taxes to the town are dead. She is obstinate.