William Faulkner's stunning conclusion of A Rose for Emily sends the reader reeling. Emily's obsession with Homer Barron is evident by her hair on the pillow of the bed containing his decomposing body. While this act may seem like undying devotion to a man she loved dearly, it was actually the act of a women obsessed with a false life and love she was willing to kill for. Throughout the text, Emily acts suspiciously regarding Homer, and with a motive and means, she most likely was the reason for his death.
Emily's means to kill Home is quite clear. She resides with him alone, and their anti-society lifestyle allows her access to him away from the prying eyes of the townsfolk. She also purchoses means in which to kill Homer, arsenic poison. She purchosed it suspiciously, asking the druggist for the best kind. She refused to state what it was for until forced, and her hesitation makes the reader wonder if it is really for rats.
Emily's motive for killing Homer remains slightly more complex. It was clear she feared he did not love her and would leave her. Indeed "Homer himself had remarked - he liked men..." Homer's sexual orientation firmly stated he could never love Emily. Her fear of abandonment had grown after her father's death, and her increasing worries that Homer would leave her eventually led to her act of murder.
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