William Faulkner, A Rose For Emily, encompasses various themes, but the most prevalent theme in the short story is decadence. Time waits for no man, and for Miss Emily Grierson, time has left her behind. A Rose For Emily depicts the motionless decay of a woman stuck in time, as her concept of reality is lost. Throughout the story, Faulkner describes Emily and the atmosphere around her as confused and withering. In the short story A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner, a woman is ultimately overcome by grief and in turn loses all concept of reality, losing herself in her own world which disappears with her. Miss Emily's erratic behavior first surfaced after her. the death of the father. Perhaps provoked by grief, but better explained by madness, Miss Emily denied her father's death for three days. When Mr. Grierson died, Emily was left alone and contributed significantly to his deterioration. Due to her father's possessive nature, no man was close to courting her, and so she had to confide in herself, alienating the rest of the town. This alienation and confinement has left Miss Emily st...