The South after the Civil War

The Reconstruction era following the Civil War had a significant and humbling impact on Southern society. The South's antiquated plantation-based economy, heavily reliant on slave labor, was shattered by emancipation. Northern opportunists, known as "carpet-baggers," flocked to the region to exploit the economic disarray. Some Southern aristocrats found themselves working the land alongside tenant farmers and former slaves. Faulkner came from a family that once owned a plantation, and the history of his family and the South at large inspired his creative imagination.

The short stories and novels Faulkner wrote about Yoknapatawpha County collectively form an epic, mythical history of this period. David Minter, in his biography William Faulkner: His Life and Work, mentions that as a teenager, Faulkner was known for his intense observational skills: "Sometimes he joined the old men of Oxford on the town square... there he sat or stood motionless, quiet, as though held fast by some inner scene or some inner sense of himself." In this way, Faulkner absorbed the legends of his region. He listened to Civil War stories from old veterans, hunting tales from his father, accounts of his great-grandfather's heroic deeds from his grandfather, and fables about forest animals from Mammy Caroline Barr, an ex-slave who cared for him as a child. These stories, along with his experiences in Oxford, deeply influenced his work.

In just a few pages, "A Rose for Emily" spans approximately three-quarters of a century. Emily Grierson's birth takes place around the Civil War, and her death occurs in the late 1920s or early 1930s—around the time Faulkner wrote the story. Coming from an aristocratic background and associating with similar families, Faulkner was well-acquainted with the arrogance of characters like the Griersons. Some of these individuals continued to act as if they were still privileged plantation owners despite losing their wealth. However, Faulkner also spent considerable time observing ordinary townspeople, enabling him to authentically capture the voice of Jefferson's common folk through the character of the narrator.

The narrator in "A Rose for Emily" notes a shift in the town's character when Jefferson's Board of Aldermen tried to collect taxes from Emily. Initially, the town was governed by men of the old South, like Colonel Sartoris and Judge Stevens. These men adhered to a chivalric code that was highly protective of white women. Consequently, Colonel Sartoris could not bring himself to tax a poor spinster, and Judge Stevens could not confront Emily about the odor emanating from her home.

With each passing generation, the newer ones grew increasingly distant from the outdated social customs of their ancestors. The men tasked with collecting Emily’s taxes did not adhere to the same principles as their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. To these men, Emily was not a "damsel in distress"; she was an obstacle, an impediment to progress. Faulkner was deeply fascinated by the clash between nineteenth and twentieth-century Southern society. The old Southern families in his novels, such as the Compsons in The Sound and the Fury, ultimately crumble under the burden of their histories. In "A Rose for Emily," Emily Grierson was undoubtedly a character ensnared by her genteel past, and she quite literally had a "skeleton in the closet."

1930s: The 1929 stock market crash in the U.S. triggers the Great Depression. The number of unemployed rises from 5 million in 1930 to 13 million by 1932, making up 24.9% of the population.

1990s: The U.S. experiences an economic boom. The stock market reaches unprecedented heights, and unemployment hits a 25-year low.

1930s: The thirties mark a golden age of radio spanning three decades. Families gather around their radios after dinner to listen to news, sports, and dramas like ‘‘The Shadow’’ and ‘‘Little Orphan Annie.’’

1990s: Media becomes ubiquitous in late twentieth-century life. With seemingly endless choices—radio, television with hundreds of channels, film, and the Internet—people have access to information and entertainment around the clock.

1930s: Bruno Hauptmann faces trial for the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby. (Charles Lindbergh was the first person to complete a solo transatlantic flight.) Despite concerns of a rushed judgement, Hauptmann is convicted and executed in 1936 by electric chair. The media calls it the ‘‘Trial of the Century.’’

1990s: Former football star O. J. Simpson is arrested for the brutal murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman. The trial brings to the forefront issues of race, class, sex, gender, and fame. Simpson is acquitted in the criminal trial but later found liable in a civil case. The media also dubs this the ‘‘Trial of the Century.’’