Comparing A Rose for Emily to Mental Treatment During the Time of the Story

In colonial times people with a mental illness were called lunatics, which is derived from the root word lunar. People used this description because they believed that the illness was caused by the full moon. At the turn of the 20th century, society's perception of the insane was still inaccurate. People were unfairly accused of having a mental illness, patients were treated inhumanely by society, and they were looked down upon by their fellow men. William Faulkner uses his characters in "A Rose for Emily" to address this growing problem in society.�

In the early 1900's there were no limitations to who could be considered mentally ill. The homeless, whores, and elderly were often put into mental facilities. It became habit to remove unwanted people from society by saying that they were crazy. Emily is also labeled crazy because she does not succumb to the town's conventional ways. She rebels by not getting married, not paying taxes, and refusing to socialize. The narrator's only explanation for these nonconformities is insanity. Labeling Emily justifies the town in ousting her from society. Faulkner reveals this injustice by making Emily socially unacceptable.

In the early 1900's doctors were experimenting with many different ways to cure mental patients. One particular treatment consisted of filling up a tub with either hot or cold water. The tub would be covered with canvas that would have a hole cut out for the patient's head. The patient would be left in the tub for hours or even days. This treatment was said to awaken the senses by creating a sense of terror and shock. Faulkner depicts this uncouth treatment when he describes Emily as looking, "bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue" (Faulkner131). This description questions the validity of the therapies that were being used.�