The short story "A Rose for Emily" written by William Faulkner, is set in a small southern town called Jefferson. The story begins with the funeral of the story's protagonist, Miss Emily Grierson, and then continues with the past. His father's death had a major impact on his life. She finally finds hope when Homer Barron, a Yankee, enters her life. The protagonist Emily, a symbol of the past, is in conflict with the present. Miss Emily was the only child of her father, who died leaving her a penniless house. Before her father's death, Colonel Sartoris forgave her taxes. The “next generation” (Faulkner 730), of mayors and aldermen, decided that Miss Emily should also pay property taxes like everyone else. Miss Emily thought otherwise; they tried to contact Miss Emily but she was so stubborn that she didn't respond. With no response, a delegation visited Miss Emily at her home. After her father's death, Miss Emily begins to isolate herself from the city and never leaves her home. Miss Emily has had no company for ten years until the Board of Aldermen visits her. His house begins to decay and exudes a strong odor that "smelled of dust and disuse, a stuffy, damp odor" (731). The judge received several complaints about the strong odor coming from Miss Emily's home. So obviously he decided to do something about it. The judge sent four men on a mission to eliminate the smell. The story says that "they broke the cellar door and sprayed lime there and in all the outbuildings" (732). Everyone began to worry about Miss Emily wondering if she needed help, but the doctors wanted to discard her father's body instead. After she had a breakdown she agreed to... mid-paper... that she has company except her servant who has been there with her through everything. Miss Emily let her past conflict with her present by keeping her late father's body in a room in her house. The fact that she keeps the body of the deceased causes a serious over that begins to spread in the city. The smell was so bad that the people of the city had to crawl to try to smell it. The smell also had a big impact on Miss Emily's health. The strong odor makes Miss Emily sick several times as she sits and inhales the smell. The conflict between past and present caused her to die of herself, not being able to go out and feeling stuck in the house with a horrible smell. Works Cited Faulkner, William. “A rose for Emily.” Norton's introduction to literature. 11th ed. Ed. Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton, 2013. 730-736. Press