“A Rose for Emily” is a wonderful short story written by William Faulkner. It begins at the end of Miss Emily's life and is narrated by a stranger who would most likely be the voice of the town. Emily Grierson is a protagonist in this story and her life is used as an allegory about the changes in a southern Jefferson town after the Civil War in the early 1900s. From the title, William Faulkner uses symbols like the house, Miss Emily as a “monument”, her hair, Homer Barron and even Emily’s “rose” to express the passage of time and changes. The central theme of the story is the decadence of the town, the house, and Miss Emily herself. It shows how we age and decay and there is nothing permanent except change. Miss Emily's house is one of the important symbols that represent the past as it rejects the update like Miss Emily. The “…house was once white, decorated with domes, spiers and scrolled balconies in the very bright style of the 1970s, located on what was once our most exclusive street” (209). Then she grows old with Emily, “a horror among horrors” (209). She was once "a slender figure in white" (211) and later she appears "swollen, like a body long submerged in still water... her eyes lost in the greasy ridges of her face..." (210 ). She represents the Old South through her actions. She avoided believing that times were changing and did not join the new society. She doesn't even go out. An example of Emily's life in the past is when she refuses to pay tax. At Miss Emily's funeral, she referred to another symbol as a "fallen monument" (209), which could mean that she was once beautiful and wealthy, but over time she grew taller. old and became poor. Also at the port...... middle of paper...... in the nostrils we saw a long lock of iron-gray hair” (215). Viewed in the symbols above, Faulkner's story gives the idea with the changes in the appearances and life of Emily Grierson at the time as an allegory for the changes in the old-fashioned ideals of the South after the Civil War. Even though Emily is a strong woman, she is at the same time a victim of her resistance to the changing times as the world continued without her and of a poor perception of the people around her. In conclusion, this story “A Rose for Emily” tells the life, love, times, hopes and destruction of Emily Grierson using clever symbols. Emily never accepts that the changing world around her could benefit her life. “The new generation has become the backbone and spirit of the city” (214), but Emily is still in conflict with her heart, her community, and the modern world..