Emily Grierson was a recluse and a symbol that identified the gradual destruction of the South after the Civil War. As Toni Robinson writes, "For some people the antebellum or the pre-Civil War South was an American fairy tale, the pace of life was serene and genteel" (A Shattered Fairy Tale: The South After The Civil War), meaning that Emily had lived a fairy tale life before the Civil War. Emily was a woman who endeavored without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men. She was also impervious to any criticism brought about by the town's folk. Karen Bernardo writes, "In A Rose for Emily, Faulkner shows the tragedy that results from our adherence to social roles that constrain, rather than liberate, our true selves"(Collected Stories of William Faulkner). This statement shows how the town folk constantly watched Emily and expected her to be what they considered normal and this led to her alienation from society. After she died, the people that despised of her recluse lifestyle went to her funeral. They were curious to witness the solitary life this woman had lived for many years.
             People assumed that Emily led a comfortable life, but to the contrary, she led an isolated and depressing life. When her father was alive, he turned away any man that she had, because no man was ever good enough for his daughter. Her father's control might have led Emily to be so attached to him. When he died she could not bear the thought of being alone. Faulkner writes, "She told them her father was not dead", implying that she could not bear the thought of living without a man. She had to stand firm for three days, not letting anyone into the house to rid of her father's dead body.
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