Tradition and change are two opposing ideas that have been fighting each other for thousands of years. Many believe in the preservation of effective and successful customs, while others strive to revolutionize them and move forward to improve society. In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner writes about a woman who clings to her past in fear of the future. Faulkner uses setting, character, point of view, structure, and symbolism to expose examples of human nature, which teach us important lessons about life. William Faulkner takes us to his fictional town of Jefferson, Mississippi at the turn of the 20th century, a time when the ways of society were changing dramatically. Her fictional character, Miss Emily, is a great example of someone who is afraid of change and lives in the past to resist the changes that are happening around her. When the Board of Aldermen met to confront Miss Emily about her tax notice, she informed them that she had no taxes in Jefferson. An agreement made about ten years ago by a now deceased mayor has long been forgotten and no longer implemented. Miss Emily simply refuses to accept the changes and sends the men away. Although this part of the story seems irrelevant to the plot, it is significant in understanding Miss Emily's nature and how she responds to change. The relationships Miss Emily has with characters like her father, Homer Baron, and the townspeople. they all have significant value in the story. Although there are many important characters in A Rose for Emily, it can be argued that the real antagonists seem to be time and change. Almost every struggle Miss Emily faces can be traced back to the presence of time and changes in her life. The modern customs of the city he lives in, the death of his father,...... middle of paper... more isolation. Therefore his house is a symbol of his solitude and solitude. Finally, the most important example is the lifeless body of Homer Baron, which seems to symbolize the never satisfied emptiness of his life. Because of the tragic life Miss Emily lived, she used the walls of her home to live in a world where she could resist change, control the presence of time, and ultimately contain the person she loved in an effort to provide her with the happiness she wanted. he had never had. The elements that William Faulkner uses to develop Miss Emily's character and tell her story all contribute to his theme that resisting change can lead to one's isolation. It is important to accept the past and move forward with the future. However, given a person's circumstances, like Miss Emily's, resistance is the natural way to defend ourselves when change becomes our enemy..