Emily Grierson Symbolism

In the short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, the main character, Emily Grierson, goes through multiple tragedies in her life. Those of which have somehow loosened the structural integrity of her own mind. Losing her father--her only family member and overseer—left Emily alone with the servant, and without husband. A few years later she finds a man she finds suitable to marry, Homer Barron. Upon the discovery that Homer isn’t interested in women, she poisons him with arsenic. Then continues to sleep next to him, for forty plus years. It’s easy to see the decent into madness just by looking at the story. But, we can observe this decent through many of the symbols Faulkner leaves us. For example, while her father was alive
Like most humans, Emily wanted a house she could love someone in, and a house where she could be free. She thought she might have this with Homer Barron, but something went terribly wrong. This something turned her house into a virtual prison – she had nowhere else to go but home, and this home, with the corpse of Homer Barron rotting in an upstairs room, this home could never be shared with others. The house is a huge symbol of Miss Emily's isolation. Including the statements Emily makes and the manner in which she holds herself, its clear Emily doesn’t want to be involved in the real world. But it goes deeper than that, the individual rooms and doors in her house. The attic, known for housing the dead body of Homer Barron, is always locked and was locked when the town’s people were looking in the house for the first time. This is supposed to be a room no one else but Emily can enter or exit. Not only was this room only accessible to Emily but when it was in use, it also marks the period in her life when she was the most “crazy”. When she murdered Homer Barron, it can be assumed that this room was never used again. After this incident not only are certain rooms not being used any more, due to decay, but I believe certain parts of Emily’s brain aren’t