William Faulkner examines several themes throughout his classic short story "A Rose for Emily." In the short story, Faulkner comments on the decline of the Old South, the effects of mental instability, social isolation, tradition vs. change, and the power of death. Emily Grierson is the protagonist of the story, who hails from a prestigious family and suffers under her father's authoritative control as a young woman. Miss Emily and her home symbolically represent the Old South, which has dramatically declined following the Civil War. Miss Emily lives an isolated life and is a remnant of the Antebellum South. She refuses to change and progress along with Jefferson's society and becomes the topic of rumors and unflattering gossip. The narrators express conflicting ideas about Miss Emily and the discovery of Homer Barron's remains in the attic is a disturbing, startling image. Despite her horrific crime and necrophilia, Faulkner portrays Miss Emily as a sympathetic character, who is a victim of her upbringing and mental instability. Faulkner's depiction of Miss Emily coincides with the South's difficult past and challenges the reader to analyze the positive and negative aspects of the South's history. By offering Miss Emily a rose, he does not excuse the region’s crimes but depicts the South and its inhabitants as misunderstood civilians worthy of our sympathy and attention.