<P> "A Rose for Emily" discusses many dark themes that characterized the Old South and Southern Gothic fiction . </P> <P> The story explores themes of death and resistance to change; they reflect the decaying of the societal tenants of the South in the 1930s . Emily Grierson had been oppressed by her father for most of her life and hadn't questioned it because that was her way of living . Likewise, the antiquated traditions of the south (often harmful, such as in the treatment of black people) had remained acceptable, as that was their way of living . Once her father had passed, Emily, in denial, refused to give his corpse up for burial--this shows her inability to functionally adapt to change . When the present mayor and aldermen insist Miss Emily pay the taxes which she had been exempted from, she refuses and continues to live in her house . Miss Emily's stubborn insistence that she "pays no taxes in Jefferson" and her mistaking the new mayor for Colonel Sartoris brings into question whether her acts of resistance are a conscious act of defiance or a result of a decayed mental stability . The reader is only shown Emily from an external perspective, we cannot ascertain whether she acts in a rational manner or not . The death of Homer, if interpreted as having been a murder, can be seen in the context of the North - South clash . Homer, notably a northerner, is not one for the tradition of marriage . In the framework that his death was not an accident, but a murder on the part of Emily, Homer's rejection of the marriage can be seen as the North's rejection of Southern tradition . The South ends its relations with the North in retaliation . Emily continuing to sleep next to Homer's body can be seen as the south holding on to an ideal that is no longer feasible . </P> <P> Control and its repercussions is a persistent theme throughout the story . Emily's father was an intimidating and manipulative figure, keeping her from experiencing life in her own terms . She was never able to grow, learn, live her life, start a family, and marry the one she truly loved . Even after Emily's father died, his presence and impact on his daughter was still apparent . Discussing Emily and her father, the townspeople said "We had long thought of them as a tableau, Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed by the back - flung front door .". Emily is portrayed as small and powerless, placed behind the overbearing frame of her father . She wears white, a symbol of innocence and purity . Emily falls victim to the ruling hand of her father and to her place in the society: she has to uphold the noblesse oblige to which she was born into . In this way, her father's influence remains after he has passed . This control leads to Emily's isolation, both externally and internally imposed . Emily is alone, yet always being watched by the townspeople; she is both apart from and a part of the community . Her position prevents her from ever finding happiness . </P> <P> The power of death is a consistent theme throughout the story . Emily herself is portrayed as a "skeleton" that is both "small and spare" which is representative of the fact that she emanates death . When it comes to death itself, Emily is in denial and most of that feeling has to do with her loneliness . After her father dies, she keeps his corpse for three days and refuses to admit that he is dead . The reader also sees this with the corpse of Homer Barron, except she is the one who inflicts death upon him . She poisons him and keeps him locked away in her room; she did not want to lose the only other person she had ever loved, so she made his stay permanent . These examples show that the power of death triumphs everything, including "poor Emily", herself . </P>

Describe the tableau that is referred to by the townspeople in a rose for emily
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