Faulkners Gay Homer free essay sample

Faulkners Gay Homer, Once More Faulkner’s Gay Homer, Once More, written by Judith Caesar discusses the questionable sexuality of Homer Barron in the story â€Å"A Rose for Emily†. Judith’s stance on the topic is that Homer is not a homosexual man, but is a heterosexual man. She discusses how the times changing affect the meaning of the words â€Å"gay† within the text and how it causes the confusion for the reader. At the end of the article, she backs her thesis up with strong facts. Judith explains that it may be possible that Homer could be gay, but to make that assumption ruins the story and meaning of the story. Judith makes three very strong points within â€Å"A Rose for Emily† to prove that Homer is not gay. For her first argument, she brought up the time period in which the literature was written and when the story took place. We will write a custom essay sample on Faulkners Gay Homer or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"A Rose for Emily† was written in 1931 which lets us know the general position and opinion on being a homosexual was. The story is set in the 19th century when homosexuality was unheard of. Comparing that time period to today’s times , it helps the reader decipher that Homer could not be gay purely on the time period that this story took place. Caesar’s second argument is based on the purpose of the story. If Homer were gay, the plot line of the story would not have made any sense. Homer was seen as Emily’s â€Å"lover†. The people in the story talk about Homer being seen going in and out of Emilys house which suggests that they were romantically or even sexually involved. Caesar then pointed out that the people in the town viewed Emily as a â€Å"fallen woman† meaning that she was having intercourse before being married. An argument is that Homer used Emily to mask that he is gay, but if Homer had used Emily as a cover for his homosexuality, the why he would come back to her after finishing the concrete sidewalks. I feel as if he was just using her, Homer would have no need for her after finishing the job in the town. Judiths final argument discusses the language and the text that is used in the literature and how it should be read. The time period that this story was written in, the phrasing, and words could easily be unclear if the expressions were referenced towards a different time period. The word gay in the dictionary once simply meant â€Å"happy† and did not assume the role of describing a sexual orientation until a later time. I agree with this entire article that Judith has written. At first it had crossed my mind that Homer was a homosexual and that he was using Emily, but then thought to myself that this story would not make sense if he had been. Judith had three very strong arguments that could not be denied or questioned. The facts that Homer would sneak into Emily’s house through the back door, and the views of Emily as a fallen woman cannot be disputed. The time period was the biggest and final factor that helped me make my personal decision about this topic. In conclusion I found it very difficult to dispute her facts, and agree that Homer Barron was not intended to be viewed as a Homosexual character in the story. The theories that the author uses in her article are feminist, gender, and sexuality theories. Judith clearly discusses the sexuality of Homer throughout the entire article and she proves her points through analyzing history and culture; relating it to the text. Works Cited