In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," Miss Emily Grierson is portrayed as a  reminder of a past era of the town's history. She behaves as she was raised, stern and aristocratic, even though her circumstances do not reflect the past greatness of her family. Thus, while she is a target of gossip and speculation on the part of the townspeople, she is also respected, and perhaps a bit feared.

An incident that shows this is her purchase of poison from the druggist. At first, she simply tells the druggist that, "I want some poison." When he presses her for more details, she asks for the best poison that the druggist has, then asks for arsenic by name. The druggist attempts to find out why she wants the poison, but she refuses to answer:

The druggist looked down at her. She looked back at him, erect, her face like a strained flag. "Why, of course," the druggist said. "If that's what you want. But the law requires you to tell what you are going to use it for."

Miss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic and wrapped it up.

The druggist's capitulation to Miss Emily's demands is evidence that the townspeople treat her not as a woman of few means, but as the representation of the former aristocracy of the town. They respect and fear her, not just because of the memory of her family, but also because she represents an era that has faded away.