“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner tells the story of the troubled Miss Emily Grierson as she struggles against modernization that operates around her and threatens to disrupt her idealized perception. from the past, a woman so incapable of adapting that she leads a crusade of personal isolation against the changing times in order to protect the only way of life she has ever known. Faulkner tells us that Emily herself is a tradition: “Alive Miss Emily was a tradition, a duty, and a worry” (p 125). As such, her character is depicted as the physical embodiment of tradition, giving human form to the concept of the stasis of time, as she remains stubbornly the same over the years despite, or more precisely, despite the many changes underway. around her. Faulkner also refers to her as an "idol", which reinforces the concept of her personifying the past. Emily, like a statue erected in the town square to pay homage to idols of the past, is literally frozen in time. She refuses postal service, refuses to pay taxes, and ultimately refuses to leave her house, thereby slowing the progression of time and leaving the townspeople to speculate about the strange recluse that is Miss Emily Grierson. Her inability to let go of the past paralyzes her and prevents her from embracing any type of future, or even functioning in the present. Her refusal to accept the change that inevitably accompanies the passage of time provides the framework for a less obvious, but no less important, underlying theme in "A Rose for Emily." It is human nature to create an altered reality that is more suitable for habitation both physically and emotionally to protect the psyche. It is in this innate subjective perception of human reality...... middle of paper ...... and its secrets after death. Through her self-imposed isolation, she was able to live a life in which she was not a lonely single woman, but one in which she slept every night in the arms of her one true love, Homer Barron. Although the life she lived may have been based on her own madness, for her it could have been a truly rosy life. However, a life lived through rose-colored glasses usually presents a grim reality. Therein lies the danger of succumbing to a life lived only through a rosy tint. The individual is incapable of feeling his own descent into madness, and those watching are loath to acknowledge the tragedy that has befallen them all. Works Cited Faulkner, William. “A rose for Emily.” The Broadview Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. Julia Gaunce and Suzette Mayr. Ontario: Broadview Press, 2004. 125-30. Print.