The theme of a work of literature is its central or dominant idea. Theme is not the same as plot or subject, two terms with which it is sometimes confused" (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). One important theme in "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner is death. He uses death to symbolize how old ways of life die but sometimes people continue to hold on to things. This may be due to being afraid of change. Faulkner shows how Emily refuses to let go of her father's dead body, and even refusing to acknowledge that he is dead. She sends people away for two days, proclaiming he is not dead. In another scene, Emily is again stuck in the past of how things used to be, as far as being exempt from paying taxes, saying "I have no taxes in Jefferson" (Kirszner
