William Faulkner's short story “A Rose for Emily” is a famous example of what some critics call the “Southern Gothic” genre, in which the close-knit qualities and the antiquated customs of a Southern community leads to aberrant, sometimes grotesque behavior. There is a voyeuristic aspect to these stories, as if the reader is invited to observe the bizarre nature of aspects of life and beliefs in the South. Of course, observing “exotic” customs is not enough to explain Emily's beliefs and motivations for her bizarre and transgressive acts – killing her lover and then living with his corpse for many years. However, there is considerable doubt regarding the correct way to interpret Emily's thoughts and actions. There are two main schools of thought: while some critics seek a personal and psychological explanation, assuming that realism is a dominant factor in this story, other critics conceptualize Emily as a product and symbolic representation of her society. As such, Emily's actions are motivated not by an individual psychological profile but by broader social dynamics. This second explanation is more feasible and convincing. Therefore, I would like to conclude that the character of Emily is an allegorical representation of the Southern struggle between conservatism and progress, and her motivations and beliefs should be understood as those of the South in general. Some writers present convincing psychological explanations, viewing Emily as a realistic representation of a person. For example, Emily's relative isolation, living "... at odds with... [a] close-knit community" (O'Bryan-Knight 328) is seen to define her social position. Initially, her father's severity and her vigilance both communities may have... half of the document... Southern Gothic as signs of social dislocation in Faulkner and O'Connor". In Downing, David B. and Bazargan , Susan. Image and ideology in modern/postmodern discourse. New York:SUNY Press, 1991Cho, Soo Hee. “The Hippodamia Complex in “A Rose for Emily””. www.papersearch.net/view/detail.asp?detail_key=0u100694Dilworth, Thomas. "A Love Story to Kill For: Homocidal Complicity in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily." Studies in Short Fiction Vol. , pp. 251 - 62. Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily". O'Bryan-Knight, Jean. “From the Spinster to the Eunuch: “A Rose for Emily” by Mario Vargas Llosa” Comparative Literature Studies, Vol. 34, pp. 328-347, 2004.