In âA Rose for Emily,â Miss Emily is the character who has power. âOn the first of the year they mailed her a tax notice. February came, and there was no reply.â Miss Emily was mailed a tax notice, but she disregarded it. She was then mailed a formal letter asking her to call the sheriffâs office at her convenience, followed by a letter from the mayor. The Board of Aldermen then went to her house to convince her to pay her taxes. âI have no taxes in Jefferson,â is what she muttered repeatedly. She eventually chases them out of her house, without her having to pay her taxes. This shows that Miss Emily is powerful, for she didnât comply with the laws of the town, and the Alderman probably feared to punish her because of her old age.
âShe carried her head high enoughâeven when we believed that she was fallen. It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness.â The narrator feels that Emily knows that she is a powerful woman, and that she wants to be recognized for it.
As Miss Emily asks the druggist for poison, she wasnât hesitant. She insisted on getting arsenic. When the druggist mentioned that he must be told what she will use the poison for, due to the law, Miss Emily just stared at him. The druggist packaged the poison and when Miss Emily opened it, written on the box was âfor rats.â Here, Emily is ignoring the law once again. She is a powerful woman, and people mustâve feared to challenge her authority.
