Saturday 17 January 2015

In "A Rose for Emily", what does Emily Grierson have engraved at the jeweler's?

Part IV of "A Rose for Emily" is very telling.


We learn that Emily's relationship with Homer Barron is not taken very well by the people. The minister, his wife, and even Emily's cousins from Alabama, try to make sense into her by telling her that her relationship with Homer should end.


While the neighbors waited to see what would happen now that the Grierson clan was once again together, this time to persuade Emily...

Part IV of "A Rose for Emily" is very telling.


We learn that Emily's relationship with Homer Barron is not taken very well by the people. The minister, his wife, and even Emily's cousins from Alabama, try to make sense into her by telling her that her relationship with Homer should end.


While the neighbors waited to see what would happen now that the Grierson clan was once again together, this time to persuade Emily to leave Homer Barron, they also learned (presumably from word to mouth gossip) that Emily had been to the jeweler's. What did she have engraved there? Emily had the jeweler engrave her purchase of a silver men's toiletry set; the engraving was Homer Baron's initials: HB. This engraving added elegance and the signification of ownership and exclusive relationship to Homer's new comb and brush set.


I included a picture of a typical, early 20th century man's toilet set in silver. As "head of household", the man of the house would be given an expensive set like this, as a wedding gift. This is a way to show that he is held in high esteem, giving him the finest tools to make himself socially presentable to everyone. An expenditure of this kind was a serious matter. It is a sign that there is definitely a solid relationship established where two people will share a household together. Therefore, the town assumed that the two had secretly married.


Granted, the people were rooting for Emily; they were happy that she had apparently found a mate in Homer Barron. They also expressed a deep dislike for the cousins. 



 We learned that Miss Emily had been to the jeweler's and ordered a man's toilet set in silver, with the letters H. B. on each piece. Two days later we learned that she had bought a complete outfit of men's clothing, including a nightshirt, and we said, "They are married." 



 When Emily's cousins finally left her household a week after this, Homer was seen again. The problem was that, after he was let in the house that night, Homer was never seen again. We know why at the very end of the story, when the door of Emily’s room is opened and the secret finding is finally uncovered.

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