William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" was originally published in Forum. It is first short story published in a major magazine. The narrator is unnamed and tells the story in first person plural. This person may possibly be a neighbor or gossiping townsperson, but somehow seems to know what goes on throughout Emily's life. Critic Michael L. Burduck suggest that Faulkner's narrator is a woman because she seems to be concerned with every detail of Emily's life. I believe this is true he also states that the narrator sees to it that Emily's story is not to be forgotten.
             The main character is Emily Grierson, referred to as Miss Emily throughout the story. This story has many flashbacks and is told in five sections. The story starts with the death of Miss Emily and people going to her funeral. The narrator lets us know that the men where there out of respect and the women showed up to her house out of curiosity. The house is described, as once being white and decorated, " set on what had once been our most select street. "(2) Knowing this we can assume that Emily's origins are of upper-class status, which later leads to issues with her and her father. They soon flashback to when Emily was alive to the old mayor, Colonel Sartoris. He plays an important part in Emily's life in that he after her father dies he remits her taxes " on into perpetuity. " (4) Colonel Sartoris knows Emily's father left her with nothing when he died. For that reason, he made up a story to save Emily the embarrassment of accepting charity. The story then flashes forward t!
             o the next generation of mayors and aldermen. They decide to confront her on the issue of collecting taxes from her and went to her house. They enter the parlor and sit on old, dusty, and cracked leather furniture. When they saw Miss Emily they described her as, "...a small, fat woman in black" who looks, "...