temerity
–noun
reckless boldness; rashness
"A few of the ladies had the temerity to call, but were not received, and the only sign of life about the place was the Negro man--a young man then--going in and out with a market basket." [p. 91]
The women of the town found the bold courage to call Miss Emily in attempt to satisfy their curiosity. Despite all the efforts of the town to contact her, especially the ladies, Miss Emily rarely contacts anyone. The meaning of temerity helps us understand the personalities and behaviors of the ladies, largely as an effect of Miss Emily's oddness. Miss Emily's uniqueness and distance from the community makes her a vulnerable topic of gossip. A simple comparison for temerity is "guts"--the ladies had the "guts" to call her. Knowing the definition of the word helps me understand the sentence because it tells you the significance of the call. Contacting Miss Emily is not always successful, but the ladies had the boldness and rashness to do so and they call her even though she doesn't pick up.
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