“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner was written in the first person singular point of view so that the reader could be presented with the facts and gossip regarding Emily as any newcomer to that small town would have been. Emily’s life generates intrigue and curiosity since the narrator and the rest of the townsfolk barely knew anything about the title character besides the fact that she was a lonely, old woman cooped up in her dusty and unkempt house for most of her life.
Tobe, on the other hand, was there with Emily for that blurred part of her existence. He knows what really occurred between her and Homer and why her supposed beau’s dead body was found on Emily’s bed. While the rest of the town looked up on Emily as an awed figure, a type of local celebrity, Tobe knows Emily in her human state. True, he may not have said a word to her during his time as her manservant, but living in close proximity with others usually gives one insight into their true natures. Tobe’s version of the story would probably be more factual. He may not have spoken to Emily very often, but he still chose to remain with her until her death. His story would relay the events in a matter-of-fact style, yet with a hint of guardedness. He was not someone that Emily confided with, him being her servant, so the information he has was probably what he stockpiled from eavesdropping or verbal slip-ups. Even though Tobe may know what went on in Emily’s mind, his narration of the story would be quite biased. He might have even felt a little resentment towards his owner and that would have colored the facts.
Homer is another story. The man dies before the story even finishes! The last thing he may have thought was that Emily and he had patched up things between them since he had left her for a period of time. Little did he know, the woman that he believed to be a friend (since they seemed to be nothing more) was actually planning to poison him. Homer knows Emily in a different light than most people. She actually spoke more than a few words to him, for one. He liked her well enough to visit her. Nevertheless, he still did not see the violent side of Emily that ended his life. His take on the story would be honest and limited.
