"A Rose for Emily": Theme

      In the gloomy short story of A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, there seems to be the theme of decay throughout this work of literature.  To start, the narrator opens with the mentioning of Emily Grierson's death.  With this, the narrator flashes back to tell not only the background of Emily, but the history of the town.  With concern to Emily, the entire town gathers to attend her funeral.  The speaker explains how Emily used to live on one of the nicest houses in the city, but the home is now one of worst.  As Emily aged, so did the rest of the town.  "...only Miss Emily's house was left, stubborn and coquettish decay..." (Faulkner).  Not only is the city physically crumbling but, the morals and values of the older individuals have also decayed and are no longer present in the current inhabitants of the town.  This short story embodies the theme of death not only just in the physical decay of Emily Grierson, but also in the town as a whole.