Emily Grierson

Miss Emily, as the narrator of "A Rose for Emily" explains, is “a tradition, a duty, and a care, a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town” (119). In other words, she is a recluse and a source of fascination for the townspeople of Jefferson, who keep a constant eye on her doings. She never married, but once upon a time in the past she had a potentially scandalous relationship with one single suitor, a Yankee stranger named Homer Barron. Although no specific birth date is available, it is likely she was born on or around 1850 - in any case before the Civil War. Her death is the point at which the story begins.