Rejection is the theme in the story “A Rose for Emily” because she consciously pulls away from the community due to the town’s disapproval of her relationship with Homer Barron. People in the town treated Miss Emily horribly when she started dating Homer Barron. They wanted to hold her to the ideal image of what a lady should be. Miss Emily was able to break away when her father died, however, the town would not allow it. In addition, people tried to involve her cousin by asking her to stop Miss Emily, but she failed miserably. Miss Emily is rejected by the society; however, they are also curious about her life because it is full of suspense and they were unsure of whether Miss Emily and Homer were married. Before Homer Barron’s disappearance, he was last seen entering the residence of Miss Emily Grierson. Her life is a mystery since she went in a state of isolation and denial; consequently, Miss Emily did not leave her house for 40 forty years. On the day of her funeral, the townspeople enter the bedroom that has been locked for 40 years, only to find the rotting corpse of Homer Barron.
In conclusion, the protagonist Miss Emily consciously pulls away from the community because of the community’s rejection, resulting in the tragic outcome of Miss Emily. Therefore, it is valid to say that rejection from the townspeople caused Miss Emily to go into isolation and that is the conflict of this