<P> The funeral is a large affair; Emily had become an institution, so her death sparks a great deal of curiosity about her reclusive nature and what remains of her house . After she is buried, a group of townsfolk enter her house to see what remains of her life there . The door to her upstairs bedroom is locked; some of the townsfolk kick in the door to see what has been hidden for so long . Inside, among the possessions that Emily had bought for Homer, lies the decomposed corpse of Homer Barron on the bed; on the pillow beside him is the indentation of a head and a single strand of gray hair, indicating that Emily had slept with Homer's corpse . </P> <P> Emily Grierson - The main character of the story . Emily's father kept her from seeing suitors and controlled her social life, essentially keeping her in isolation until his death, when she is 30 years old . Her struggle with loss and attachment is the impetus for the plot, driving her to kill Homer Barron, the man that is assumed to have married her . Because no man has ever been able to stay with her before, Emily poisons and kills Homer . She sees murder as the only way to keep Homer with her permanently, and she treats him as if he is her husband even after she kills him . This is shown by her keeping his clothes in the room, keeping his engraved wedding items on the dresser, and even sleeping with him, all act that normal married couples do . Her act of murdering Homer also displays her obstinate nature . Emily deals in absolutes throughout the story . She refuses to pay her taxes because she didn't have to pay them when her father was alive . She has her servant Tobe follow the same patterns, such as his grocery errands . She kills Homer to ensure that he will never leave her . By the end of the story, Emily's story is seen as a tragedy rather than an atrocity because of what her character has gone through . </P> <P> Homer Barron - Emily's romantic interest . He is later found dead and decomposed in Emily's bedroom after her funeral . He initially enters the story as a foreman for a road construction project occurring in the town . He is soon seen to be with Emily in her Sunday carriage rides, and it is soon expected for them to be married . Homer differs from the rest of the town because he is a Northerner . The story takes place in the South shortly after the Civil War, and while Homer is not necessarily unwelcome to the town, he does stand out . This, along with the fact that he is seemingly courting Emily, sets him apart from all of the other characters in the story . It is because he is an outlier that Emily becomes attracted to him . It is generally unknown if Homer reciprocates the romantic feelings Emily has for him . Recently the topic of whether or not Homer is homosexual has been discussed and whether or not it factors into the story . </P> <P> The Narrator - An unnamed member (s) of the town who watched the events of Emily's life unfold in its entirety . The story is presented to the reader in an non-chronological order; this suggests that the story is being patched together by multiple people . Some parts of the story are repeated, such as Homer's disappearance, the idea that Emily and Homer will get married, and Emily's refusal to pay taxes, also indicating that the narrator is a voice for the town . Though the townspeople disapprove of most of Emily's actions, such as refusing to pay her taxes and purchasing poison, nobody intervenes . </P>

A summary on a rose for emily by william faulkner