In âA Rose for Emilyâ by William Faulkner, âMiss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the townâ(section1, para3) when she was alive. She didnât have to pay taxes because Colonel Sartoris, the mayor, lied that her father had lent money to the town. Also when the tax notice was sent to Miss Emily later on, she completely ignored. Even when the deputation visited her house and âthe spokesman came to a stumbling halt,â (sec1, pa7) she didnât even talked back to the visitors. She vanquished them in her dry and cold voice. Not paying for taxes, and her reaction to the town and visitors shows that Miss Emily plays a role as power dynamic.
Also Miss Emilyâs power dynamic is implied in section 3 of the story when she went to the druggist to get poison. She didnât even ask the druggist to get arsenic but she just stated that she wants it. And the druggist said âIf thatâs what you want. But the law requires you to tell what you are going to use it for.â Then the narrator describes that Miss Emily didnât tell the druggist the reason even if it is required by the law. âMiss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic and wrapped it up.â (section 3 last paragraph) Even though druggist couldnât sell the arsenic without proper reason of using it by the law, he couldnât reject her. In this scene the druggist doesnât have power in contrast to Miss Emily.
The narrator in this story is one of the people in the town. Even though the narrator knows that the town thought of her as a duty or a care, they were not able to say anything in front of her because she is a tradition and last dignity in the town that they have to accept.
Even Miss Emilyâs death was powerful. Although some were not there to show her respect, because she had been a tradition and a duty to the whole town that they have to care, the town came to her funeral.
