A Story of Isolation In the short story “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner tells the sad story of Miss Emily’s unstable state of mind. The theme in this story is that of isolation. Here is a woman who never left the sanctity of her home for something like 30 years. She did give china painting lessons in her home for a few years when she was around 40, but after that, she really never had …showed first 75 words of 248 total…

…showed last 75 words of 248 total…of isolation is the picture he paints of the house. When Faulkner describes the setting of the house, the descriptions really refer to Miss Emily’s isolation. The house is described as one that had been in the spotlight, “set on what had once been our most select street” (28). Miss Emily had also once been in the spotlight. Later the house stands isolated from the rest, and Miss Emily has separated herself from the townspeople.