“A Rose for Emily” “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner illustrates the struggle that comes from trying to maintain tradition in a world that is always expanding and who changes his point of view on everything. (SparkNotes Publishers). Jefferson City, the setting, is at a crossroads toward a modern future very different from the archaic visions before the Civil War. Emily's house is the last relic of the dying world of Southern aristocracy. She and her house still linger in the past and are unwilling to change with the community they find themselves in. Through flashbacks, symbolism, and allusions, Faulkner is able to show Emily how she relates to the theme of this short story. During the publishing period, this news might relate to those who are still struggling to live after the Civil War and keep up with the changing times, unlike Emily. Our story is based on the period after the Civil War, when the South is trying to rebuild after their way of life was essentially demolished. Gone are the days of slaves to which the city's elders are so accustomed. No more plantations that thrive under the southern sun. Through multiple flashbacks, we discover the life of Emily Grierson, our main character. She comes from an upper-class family, but after her father's death, she is the last of the Griersons in Jefferson. We learn of the deterioration of Emily's state of mind through different events in her life and even the mention of a loved one. Emily had an Aunt Wyatt who "had finally gone completely crazy", which foreshadowed that madness ran in the family and was either making its way or already happening to Emily. Another example showing Emily's deteriorating state of mind is the fact that even though her father was in the middle of a paper, she does not want to pay taxes because of her deal with Colonel Sartoris. She exemplifies how most Southerners felt about the post-Civil War period. They didn't see how to live when their entire way of life had been taken away from them. In this case, Emily struggled to maintain familiarity after her father's death. This short story shows how those who don't learn to move with the times can experience a struggle instead of just going with the flow. In this case, Emily couldn't bring herself to move forward with life and was essentially living in a flashback. Even the room she had set up with Homer Barron's corpse was shut down. Emily wanted to be in control and tried to keep her life at a standstill. It was useless as time moved and changed around her. The traditions she was so accustomed to were disappearing and, in turn, she died with them..