The closed room in "A Rose for Emily" was opened after the funeral out of respect for Miss Emily and adherence to Southern traditions. The townspeople waited until she was buried to maintain propriety, reflecting the slow-moving nature of the Deep South's customs. The reluctance to intrude was also due to the Southern virtue of chivalry, as it was considered improper for men to enter a single woman's private space without permission.

The townspeople in Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" were aware of Emily and Homer's relationship and found it scandalous, but they did not openly suspect Homer was dead in Emily's house. They noticed suspicious events, such as Emily buying arsenic and a foul smell from her home, suggesting they were aware something was amiss. However, due to cultural norms of repression and indirect communication, they did not express these suspicions openly.

Miss Emily kept her father's body due to her inability to accept his death and her deep attachment to him. Her father was her primary connection to the world, and his death left her without a framework for relating to others. This denial of his death and isolation led to a breakdown. The story also hints at her keeping Homer Barron's body, suggesting a desire for companionship or control, though her motives remain ambiguous and her sanity is questioned.

Miss Emily's refusal to accept the fact of her father's death is a miniature version of her failure to accept the changing world of the South. Her family's wealth and prestige was lost in the Civil War, as was the culture of the antebellum South. As the years go on and things change more and more, Emily stays, aggressively, the same.

"A Rose for Emily" is a story about an old woman living in the South who has stopped caring about anything around her. But then, one day, something happens to her. Suddenly she cares again, and it's not pretty. The story reveals that she had buried her dead lover under the floorboards of her house, and now she must deal with him coming back to life -- not in a good way.

Emily was a very lonely woman who had been isolated from society by her father, which led to the unrequited love for Homer Barron. Her inability to have him as her own drove her to murder him, and then to keep him with her forever. Possible follow-up question: Why do you think she wanted Homer so much? Allegory is the representation of abstract ideas or symbols in narrative form; it can also be used to represent characters that stand for something other than themselves. Allegory comes from the Greek word allegoria, meaning "to speak in another way." The most common allegories are those that deal with moral and ethical issues. "A Rose For Emily"

The final revelation about Miss Emily is the discovery of Homer Barron's decaying body in her bed, alongside a strand of her iron-gray hair. This indicates that Emily slept next to his corpse after his murder, shattering the townspeople's perception of her as a symbol of Southern respectability. This revelation underscores themes of decay and the collapse of traditional Southern values, highlighting the disparity between public perception and private reality.

Miss Emily never recognized that the rest of the town had long since come to the conclusion that ... the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were. None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such. So, as the town and times changed around her, Miss Emily remained the same. When her father died, she was left alone, and she tried to hold on to him as long as possible. Her mental stability must have also begun to deteriorate; after all, mental disease ran in the family. Miss Emily grew up as privileged member of Jefferson society.

In "A Rose for Emily," Emily Grierson's tax evasion reflects her delusional state, clinging to past privileges granted by Colonel Sartoris, a long-deceased mayor. Her father's control isolated her from society, leading to her mental deterioration and ultimately, the murder of Homer Barron to prevent his departure. Tobe, Emily's servant, represents the racial dynamics of the South, remaining with her due to limited options. Faulkner's story explores themes of decay, isolation, and the impact of oppressive traditions.

Emily's attachment to Homer Barron and her clinging to his corpse in "A Rose for Emily" illustrate her extreme fear of abandonment and inability to cope with loss. Her actions reflect her desperate attempt to maintain control over her life and relationships, even resorting to macabre measures to avoid being left alone.