The Hippodamia Complex in “A Rose for Emily”

Abstract

William Faulkner's well-known short story, “A Rose for Emily" has been subject to various interpretations: as a horror story about murder and necrophilia, as a story dealing with conflicts between the Old South and the New North, as a story of tragedy caused by the confusion of reality and illusion, and so on. Especially, many critics have attempted to explain a question most accurately posed by Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren: “Why does Miss Emily commit her monstrous act? Is she supplied with a proper motivation?"(229). In this essay, I try to answer the question by interpreting the story mainly through the paradigm of the myth of Oenomaus and Hippodamia in Greek mythology, on the basis of the assumption that the focus of the story is the daughter's revengeful act against the tyrannical father. There has been a considerable amount of criticism on Emily's Oedipus complex, while her father's possible incestuous motive, which seems quite obvious to me, has hardly been mentioned. For example, Emily's libidinal desires for her father has been considered as the main motive of her crime; that is, she murdered Homer Barron because of her longing to keep him as a surrogate father. On the assumption, “A Rose for Emily" has had a significant influence on the following literary works which deal with the Oedipus complex. However, Emily's tragedy is basically derived from her desperate attempt to right the unjustice done to her caused by Mr. Grierson's obsessive love for his daughter. Emily tries to carry out two different missions at the same time: to get rid of the obstacle to her happiness and to achieve her dreams by marriage. Emily’s difficult and tricky attempt can be understood more persuasively through the paradigm of the myth of Oenomaus and Hippodamia. In sum, “Hippodamia complex” explains Emily's transformation into an active and manipulative woman and the consequent murder and necrophilia performed by her.