A Haunting PastLife is a series of frequent changes. At some point in life, we will be thrust into circumstances that push us to make decisive life choices and adjust particular behavior in an effort to become a better form of ourselves. Even if it is recognized that changes need to be made, the process of change is difficult. So, some people are afraid to change and refuse to do so. In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner uses literary devices such as setting, symbolism, and conflict to develop his theme that fixating on the past will hurt the present. Falkner illustrated that changes are inevitable and refusal to accept progression will only lead to decadence which will eventually induce negative effects in life. Faulkner uses his theme by creating a setting that has a relationship to the historical context revolving around the idea of ​​compelling change. The main aspect of the setting is the Old South after the Civil War. Before the Civil War, Southern society consisted of a group of aristocracy and slaves. In the period following the Civil War, radical changes occurred in society. Many Southerners refused to accept that their conditions had changed. They tended to cling to old values ​​and customs. The death of Emily's father marked the end of the old lifestyle. Rather, Homer Barron's entry represents the progress of civilization: "The city had just awarded the contracts for paving the sidewalks, and the summer after his father's death the work began. construction company arrived with riggers, mules and machines, and a foreman named Homer Barron” (31). and conflicts in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily", the theme of changing over time and letting go of the past is introduced. Faulkner uses these literary tools to illustrate that refusal to change can lead to self-deterioration. , Miss Emily in this case resisted changes in an extreme way, and her reluctance to changes ultimately had horrible consequences for herself and her beloved. “A Rose for Emily” teaches the moral lesson. according to which life is full of instabilities. People, places and things change all the time. If we continue to hold on to the past, it will only cause us more suffering. We might lose a lot of things through the process of letting go. However, by letting go of our old life, we can achieve a better future. Sometimes you have to forget what's gone, appreciate the things that remain, and look forward to something better that will come along..