The main themes of A Rose for Emily are isolation and loneliness, tradition versus the present, and the generation gap. The story is about a woman whose life was filled with apathy and sympathy. In this story, Emily isolates herself from society, due to events from her past. Excessive isolation can cause loneliness in anyone's life. In A Rose for Emily, the author seems to be describing that such isolation can drive someone to commit terrible acts. Miss Emily is having trouble adjusting to the current times. She wants everything to stay the same as it was in the old South and can't adapt to any changes. Additionally, Miss Emily can't deal with the generation gap because she believes that everyone and everything should stay the same and it should never change because that's all she knows. In A Rose for Emily, the gap between Colonel Sartoris's generation and the new Board of Aldermen is bridged by the life of Miss Emily. It remains in the past; however, a vestige of an era is forgotten. His house which is "A large square frame house that was once white, decorated with domes, spiers and scrolled balconies in the very bright style of the 1970s, located on what was once our most popular street" (409 ), seems stuck in the past. When the alderman calls him to claim his taxes, they wait in the living room which is "furnished with heavy furniture covered in leather", where "a light dust rose slowly around their thighs, rotating with slow particles in the only sun. -ray" (409-410). This theme is established in Miss Emily's unusual interactions with the outside world. When she gives china painting lessons to "the daughters and granddaughters of Colonel Sartoris's contemporaries" (414 ) and when "The newest generation has become the background...... middle of paper...... the generation gap. The rose is often a symbol of love and represents infinite beauty. The rose has been used for centuries to illustrate everlasting love and realism. Even when the rose dies, it is still revered. Miss Emily's "rose" is only in the title of the story. Miss Emily was deprived of the opportunity to fall in love in her youth, so she isolated herself from the world and denied the reality of change. Miss Emily was denied her rose, first by her father, then by the townspeople, then by Homer Barron. With Miss Emily and the use of the "rose" as a symbol, we were able to interpret that Homer Barron was Miss Emily's only "rose." Works CitedFaulkner, William. “A rose for Emily.” The story and its author: an introduction to short fiction. Eighth ed. Bedford / Saint-Martin: Ann Charters, 2011. 409-15. Print.