Emily Grierson Mental Illness

A Rose for Emily A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, was the irony present about Miss Emily’s and her mysterious life. The life of Emily Grierson caught the attention of the entire town, by Emily Grierson behavior. The behaviors she display can be recognize as an insane person. Even though, Emily’s community never thought of her as “crazy”, but she indeed showed symptoms of an ill person. Miss Emily was never evaluated, or treated by a mental health professional, so a psychological analysis of Miss Emily is definitely needed. The story tells us that Miss Emily was a women that stayed in her house and had very little contact with the outside world. She was trapped in the world of delusion and had disconnect with reality. Miss Emily is
Miss Emily is proven to be delusion, and this is one other symptom of schizophrenia. “Individual may express a variety of unusual or odd beliefs” (American Psychiatric Association 5). She was unable to develop healthy coping mechanisms, and most people can handle the kind of stressors Miss Emily did. Miss Emily couldn’t face reality, so the death of her father made her develop psychotic symptoms. Mr. Grierson had strict views in traditions and to his opinion none of the boys were good enough for Miss Emily. Miss Emily’s father scared off all the boys that try to date Miss Emily. This led her to depend strongly on only her father, since he was the only one around. So after her father died, Emily didn’t take it too well. The day after his death all the ladies went to Emily’s house to support Miss. Emily. The ladies describe that Miss Emily was dressed as usual and “with no trace of grief on her face.”(Faulkner, 247). The lack of emotion that Miss Emily shows in her face expression is one of the first symptom the reader observer. As it get even stranger, Miss Emily tells the townspeople that her father is not dead and she goes on with this belief for three days. The minster and doctors had to persuade her to get rid of her father’s body and bury him. Miss Emily lost the reality that her father was no longer around, and she had a problem of
Even though he doesn’t go into specific details besides the change of her appearances. It is obvious Miss Emily was depressed from the death of her father, and this is what leads her to withdraw from society. Miss Emily avoids any contact with anyone outside her house, and she never leaves the walls of her house unless it is necessary. Miss Emily had few callers and those townspeople who were dare to visit her was not received. The behavior that Miss Emily express towards society is a symptom of schizophrenia. Miss Emily was doing everything and anything to avoid the society she lived in. Although her contact with others was limited, when she was forced to interact with others, she does everything to avoid it. The narrator reports one episode, when the town got mailboxes, “Miss Emily alone refused to let them fasten the metal numbers above her door and attach a mailbox to it. She would not listen to them” (Faulkner 2165). She reacts in such inappropriate way, yet another example of schizophrenia. Miss Emily refuses the metal numbers above her door because she just wants to go against society and do things her way. She could care less about the metal number, she just wants to have all control over her house and her things. In her mind, Miss Emily always has the last word and the law did not apply to her. One example on how Miss Emily believes that the law does not apply to her is when