Denial in Faulkner's "A Rose Thesis

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Homer "liked men" (456) and this must have hurt Emily terribly but she does not respond the way we would expect. Circumstances with Homer are different because Emily is in love with Homer and she sees this as her last chance for sharing her life with someone. This is more than a simple affair for her. When Homer rejects her, he puts an end to the love story that Emily desires. Because her father has "driven away" (455) all of Emily's previous prospects, Emily refuses to believe Homer cannot love her. She denies this fact, buries it, and begins working on a situation with which she can live. She surmises that living with a dead Homer would mean that she would never have to be alone again and never have to put up with the troubles that having a living boyfriend or husband brings. Homer is better dead than alive because dead, he provides Emily what she wants and, unknowingly, perpetuates her denial.

Denial is a coping mechanism for numerous individuals. In the climax of this story, we see just how commanding denial can be. Denial allows our protagonist to live with her father's dead corpse for a few days. Emily allows denial to obscure her logic when it comes to Homer.
He may not love her but that does not mean she will take it adequately. In fact, she copes far too well with Homer's rejection by rejecting his rejection. She knew murder was a way in which she could him with her and a dead Homer was better than none. With Emily, we see a woman obsessed with living in the past by living in denial. She cannot accept death, so she refuses to give up her father's dead body. She refuses to accept Homer's position, so she kills him in order to keep him with her. This is a classic case of denial in the worst degree. Emily will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Her objective is purely selfish. It is important to realize that she is very successful with what she does with Homer, which is the most frightening thing of all. With Emily Grierson, denial is not just a state of mind; it is a state of emergency.

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