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Setting
Section 3
Explanation and Analysis—Miss Emily's Relationship:
Miss Emily is a part of the formerly wealthy and influential Grierson family. Because of her family name, the townspeople hold Miss Emily to certain standards. Irony, then, is shown through Miss Emily's transgressive relationship with Homer Barron, which contradicts what the townspeople expect of a Grierson:
She carried her head high enough—even when we believed that she was fallen. It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness. Like when she bought the rat poison, the arsenic. That was over a year after they had begun to say "Poor Emily," and while the two female cousins were visiting her.
Section 4
Explanation and Analysis—Miss Emily's Relationship:
Miss Emily is a part of the formerly wealthy and influential Grierson family. Because of her family name, the townspeople hold Miss Emily to certain standards. Irony, then, is shown through Miss Emily's transgressive relationship with Homer Barron, which contradicts what the townspeople expect of a Grierson:
Unlock with LitCharts A+She carried her head high enough—even when we believed that she was fallen. It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness. Like when she bought the rat poison, the arsenic. That was over a year after they had begun to say "Poor Emily," and while the two female cousins were visiting her.
