CHARACTERS

  1. The central character in this story is Emily Grierson, whose father imposed strict restrictions on her social interactions throughout her childhood, and eventually died when she was thirty. Emily's struggle with loss and her desire to control Homer Barron, who is believed to have married her, drives her to murder him using poison. Despite his death, Emily continues to treat Homer as her living husband, as evidenced by her retaining his clothes and engraved wedding belongings in her bedroom, and even sleeping beside his corpse until the end of the story, as revealed by the presence of a strand of her hair next to him.

  2. Homer Barron, also known as the foreman of the road construction project, is a prominent character in the story. He enters the story as a Northerner who stands out in the South, shortly after the Civil War. He is initially seen with Emily in her Sunday carriage rides and is expected to marry her. However, it is unclear if Homer fully reciprocates the romantic feelings Emily has for him. Homer is described as preferring men and not being the marrying kind with commitment issues. It is later revealed that Homer is found dead and decomposed in Emily's bedroom after her funeral.

  3. Emily's cousins from Alabama are portrayed as snooty and stiff, even more so than Emily herself. They come to visit during Emily's courtship with Homer and are intended to evaluate her well-being. The cousins are sent to prevent Emily's marriage to Homer, but leave so the two can wed. The story hints at a potential family dispute, as Emily's cousins live far away and did not attend her father's funeral.

  4. Tobe is Emily's cook and gardener, as well as her family retainer, who is loyal to her throughout her life. During the years of her isolation, Tobe is discreet and refuses to divulge any information on Emily's personal life to others in the town. He disappears mysteriously following her death and is described as being old and stooped from his lifetime of working for Emily while she grew fat and immobile.

  5. Colonel Sartoris is the former mayor who remitted Emily's taxes. He is described as being in the story very little but his decision to remit her taxes causes her to refuse to pay them forevermore, which partly contributes to her stubborn personality. The reason for Sartoris remitting Emily's taxes is never explicitly stated in the story, only that he claimed her father had loaned the town money.