The story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is one of his most controversial stories. Set in the 19th century, the story opens when the townspeople discover the death of Miss Emily, the main character. The narrator, who lives in Jefferson City, explains Miss Emily's life and actions. Through the use of symbols, such as Emily's hair, house, clothes, and rose, William Faulkner illustrates the concept of decadence in the South. The features of Miss Emily's house symbolize her appearance as she ages over time. The “…house was once white, decorated with domes, spiers and scrolled balconies in the very bright style of the 70s, located on what was once our most popular street” (CITE). Then it became a “horror among horrors” (CITE). Likewise for the house, Miss Emily has also changed in the same way as her house and it too has become an eyesore. She was once described as "a slender figure in white" (CITE). However, as she aged, she became "bloated, like a body long submerged in still water, its eyes lost in the fatty ridges of its face" (CITE). At the time of Miss Emily's death, the narrator describes her as a "fallen monument" (CITE). This implies that Miss Emily was once a beautiful and wealthy woman, but over time she became old and poor. These changes that happened to Emily in the story also happened in the South after the Civil War: from wealth to impoverishment. There are many symbols that show that Miss Emily is still living in her prime and is stubborn and ignorant of the new. customs and rules of the city. This is shown when she fails to put a house number on the house she lives in. Furt...... middle of paper ...... is the rose in the title. It begins when a smell develops in Miss Emily's house. To eliminate or lessen the smell, residents put lime in its basement. Lime in the basement is symbolic because lime is usually present in the ground before the deceased's coffin is placed. The rose for Emily was the room in which Homer Barron (her lover) was carefully placed. This room was described as having "rose-shaded lights" and curtains that gave off a "faded rose color" (CITE). Because some women dry their roses so that they last forever, Emily wanted to keep Homer forever by drying him or killing him. She took good care of Homer, as evidenced by her dressing Homer in nightclothes and laying him on the bed. At the end of the story, iron-gray hair was found on the indented pillow next to Homer Barron, signaling that Emily was lying next to Homer (CITE).