Time Marches On Prior to the Civil War, Southerners were able to enjoy a unique lifestyle; however, the end of the Civil War signaled the end the end of traditional Southern lifestyle. As a Southern gentleman, William Faulkner grew up in the post-reconstruction period in Oxford, Mississippi, and was able to witness first-hand the significant changes in Southern lifestyle. Through his Southern Gothic style and extensive flashback and foreshadowing techniques, Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” uses these elements to develop his central theme: the passing of time, Divided into five parts, Faulkner's short story immediately begins with the death of a prominent figure in the town of Jefferson, Miss Emily Grierson. Her death turns into a community affair, as the males feel she was the town’s …show more content…
Like Gothic literature, Southern Gothic literature aims to point out society problems and their grim realities; however, it tends to focus on both grotesque, complex Southern characters who are often “broken in spirit and struggling to find a place in society once again,” and on the shortcomings of Southern traditions and values (???). Miss Emily is immediately portrayed by Faulkner as a once prominent individual, now out-of-place recluse in Southern society as evidenced by the condition of her mansion, once grand and pristine, now decayed: “[...] Only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps - an eyesore among eyesores” (341). In addition to creating a foreboding Gothic environment, this statement suggests that Miss Emily does not fit in with the society. After her father passed, Faulkner positions Miss Emily as innocent yet crazy, evidenced by the frequent repetition of sympathy from her fellow townspeople. At the disturbing conclusion of the short story, the townspeople realize how much they had misperceived