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A Rose for Emily is set throughout 1861 to 1933 in the country of Yoknapatawpha,

located in the south. There in Yoknapatawpha live several sets of families including the

Grierson family who are of old money, rich, proud and believe that they are better than

everyone else. The family consists of Emily Grierson and her over protective father Mr.

Grierson. Emily struggles under the control of her dominating father who prevents her from

marrying rejecting all of her potential suitors seeing them as beneath their family and

because of this Emily ends up alone for the majority of the rest of her life. Time passes, she

ages and her father dies of old age. After years of being lonely and alone she falls for a

Yankee but, he is not the marrying type. So driven by desperation and fear of being alone in

order to force the relationship to work Emily poisons him and places the body on her bed

where she can always have him close. She sleeps next to the rotting corpse until she dies.

In A Rose for Emily setting is probably one of the most if not the most important

element of the story, in this story the setting reflects not only the main character, Emily but

also the town and its inhabitants. The Physical setting, cultural surroundings and setting in

time are all very important elements in this short story.

The physical setting of A Rose for Emily is important because it is a direct reflection

of Emily’s life. The story takes place in the town of Jefferson, a town located in the south of

the United States. Miss Emily Grierson’s house is also an important element in the story it

had a “big squarish frame that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and

scrolled balconies.” This house was an extension of who Emily was and through it we can

get a better understanding of what kind of person Emily is. The house was beautiful in its

heyday, it was meant only for someone of high stature

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