In William Faulkner's short story, "A Rose for Emily," the main character, Emily Grierson, is a woman completely isolated from her town. She has grown up her whole life in the same house, with the same butler, and primarily the company of only her father. Emily's family had been wealthy; however after the civil war their money had run short. As the story progresses it is revealed that Emily may be living a stranger life than Faulkner allows the reader to see. Faulkner uses elements of the view the townspeople have and their gossip about Emily, Emily's relationship with her father along with family history, and her relationship with Homer Baron to explain her actions.
             Throughout the story, the gossip from the town informs the reader of their view of Emily's life. It seemed as if no one in the town had anything interesting in their lives, and lived through the gossip of Emily. Throughout Emily's life, all of the people in the town pitied her, estranging her from the community. Her house was in the center of town and was "an eyesore among eyesores" ever since the revolution. As Emily grew older she became stubborn and still believed she did not have to pay taxes and she did not. This further outkasted her from the town, and allowed for further ridicule and gossip to circulate. The gossip leads the reader to believe that Emily's strange ways are in part her father's doings, and might explain why she committed these heinous acts. Emily did not have the individual confidence, or self-esteem to believe that she could stand-alone and succeed at life, especially while the outside world was changing and she was not. She had always allowed the men in her life to rule her.
             Throughout Emily's life, her father was very strict and required her to stay home much of the time. He also did not allow her to date men; therefore when Emily finally
             ...