Miss Emily’s father Character Analysis in A Rose for Emily

A proud Southern gentleman, controlling of his daughter, who thinks that no suitor is worthy of her hand in marriage. As a result, she never does marry when he is alive, and is close to being beyond “marriageable age” after he dies. When he dies, Miss Emily insists for three days that he is not dead at all, and would have kept his corpse had the town authorities not intervened.

Miss Emily’s father Quotes in A Rose for Emily

The A Rose for Emily quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Emily’s father or refer to Miss Emily’s father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days… We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will.

Related Characters: The townspeople (speaker), Miss Emily Grierson, The townspeople, Miss Emily’s father

Page Number and Citation: 52

Explanation and Analysis:

Miss Emily’s father Character Timeline in A Rose for Emily

The timeline below shows where the character Miss Emily’s father appears in A Rose for Emily. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Patriarchal Authority and Control Theme Icon

...the town streets without an apron on—excused her from paying taxes, dating from the time her father died on into perpetuity. Miss Emily would not have accepted this excusal were she to... (full context)

...Miss Emily’s house. Tobe showed the men into the dusty interior; a crayon portrait of Miss Emily’s father stood by the fireplace. Once Miss Emily entered—a bloated-looking woman leaning on a cane—the deputation’s... (full context)

Gossip, Social Conventions, and Judgment Theme Icon

...of her taxes, just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before—two years after her father ’s death, and shortly after her sweetheart (later identified as Homer Barron) had deserted her—in... (full context)

...materialized. Consequently, the town felt vindicated in believing Miss Emily to be too proud. When her father died and she was left with only the house, the town could at last pity... (full context)

The day after Miss Emily’s father died, the ladies of the town visited Miss Emily and, as was the custom, offered... (full context)

...kin should come to aid her in avoiding a marriage that was beneath her. But Emily’s father had fallen out with what family the Griersons had in Alabama because of a disagreement... (full context)

...the funeral. The townspeople viewed Miss Emily’s corpse, over which stood the crayon portrait of her father . On the porch, the very old men, some in Confederate uniform, talked of Miss... (full context)