A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is set in Jefferson, a small Southern town after the Civil War. The story revolves around the eccentric and catastrophic events in the life of Miss Emily Grierson. At first glance, Miss Emily seems like a lonely woman, with little self-confidence and low self-esteem, which is due to her father's upbringing. There must have been some sort of negligence on her father's part because he was making her live such a sheltered life. He made her believe that no one was good enough for her and even took her away from her own family. From start to finish, Emily became quite a strange character due to this type of sheltered life. In the first section, the narrator of A Rose for Emily is the voice of the town rather than a specific person. The story embarks on a journey that unfolds when Miss Emily Grierson dies and how the entire town comes together to attend her funeral. The women of the town come mostly out of curiosity to see the interior of her house, which they say is "a large square frame house that was once white, decorated with domes, spiers and scrolled balconies in the style very bright 70s, on what was once our most popular street" (409). Next, we receive an explanation of why Miss Emily was a "hereditary obligation to the town" (409). In 1894, the mayor, Colonel Sartoris, made up a story about how his father had loaned the town money, so his taxes were already paid when his father died When the next generation took office. , the board of aldermen held a conference to decide how to collect taxes from Miss Emily, who still lived in the belief that she would not have to pay them. The board of aldermen went to her house and remained in the dusty parlor until. that Mademoiselle... middle of paper... accepts it. She tried to stop time in her own way and, even more amazingly, the townspeople let her. To them, she was a symbol of the old South. She was her father's daughter and they were more than happy to let her do things her way. They loved it as a symbol of the Old South so they could also embrace the idealistic past. But we, readers and city dwellers, know that time stops for no one. He will never be able to stop and no matter how hard you try to trap him, he will eventually find a way out. The outcome for Emily was death. She leaves behind the townspeople who protected her to discover how they will evolve in this new world of industry and development. Works Cited Faulkner, William. “A rose for Emily.” The story and its author: an introduction to short fiction. Eighth ed. Bedford / Saint-Martin: Ann Charters, 2011. 409-15. Print.