In "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, the author uses the element of time and history to tell the story of Emily Grierson. Emily, the main character, attempts to resist the progression of time and modernization in the American south during the post-civil war era. Emily's struggle of transition from old south to new south values is portrayed in a unique story-telling style. Faulkner uses many symbolic meanings associated with Emily, in relation to time and history, to decipher and interpret Emily's life. He also manipulates his story by offering key incidents out of chronological order. The author's use of these techniques is particularly effective in bestowing his perception of Emily upon his readers.
             Faulkner begins to foreshadow Emily's character by describing her house; he associates the symbolic use of Emily's house to that of her own character. Faulkner first describes the house as "stubborn and coquettish" and " an eyesore among eyesores." This description gives the reader the impression that Emily's house, much like Emily, was a burden. The word "coquettish" suggests the shyness of Emily and her attempt to shut out the rest of the town. Faulkner's statement about the house "it smelled of dust and disuse" reinforces the link between Emily and her house. The fact that Emily never maintained her house and refused to post a mailbox and an address shows her struggle with modernization. Inside the walls of this "stubborn and coquettish" home, lives a woman struggling with the progression of time. As the town progresses and modernizes, Miss Emily's house remains persistent, much like Emily herself.
             Miss Emily is described as "a small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head." Faulkner effectively uses symbol
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