e town brought in a construction company to begin paving the sidewalks. The foreman of the company was Homer Barron. The town then begins to see him and Miss Emily on Sunday afternoons together. Michael L. Burduck, of The University of Mississippi Studies in English, notes in his article that Faulkner himself sheds interesting light on this matter when he describes Miss Emily as a woman that just wanted to be loved and to love and to have a husband and a family (210). It is later gossiped that Miss Emily had bought arsenic, and the town all said, She will kill herself(Faulkner 223). Later it was gossiped that she had bought a mans toilet set and mens clothing and the town was glad because they thought that the two either were or were getting married. Emily now feels that without a husband, her life will have no meaning (A Rose for Emily 1). It is noted by Daniel Akers that Homer himself may not exactly be enthusiastic about marrying Emily. However, it is left to the reader to imagine the exact circumstances leading to Homers denouement. Finally, Emily takes the offensive by poisoning Homer so he cant abandon her (3). Miss Emilys desire for love and companionship drives her to murder Homer Baron with arsenic poison that was bought to be used for rats. Critic Michael L. Burduck says:Our narrator knows that Emily purchased poison, ostensibly to kill rats. One slang use of the term rat applies to a man who has cheated on his lover. Perhaps Faulkners tale-teller suspects that Emily feared that Homer would not remain faithful to her. In order to keep Homer by her side, Emily poisoned him. (210)She knew her true intentions when she bought the arsenic poison, but Emily did what she could to retain Homers companionship and insure that he would not give her up for another woman (Burduck 210). After Homers disappearance the front door was not used again, except for a period of six to seven years when she gave china-painting lessons. ...
