The Structure of A Rose for Emily "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner is a story that uses flashbacks to foreshadow a surprise ending. The story begins with the death of a prominent older woman, Emily, and ends with the startling discovery that Emily has been sleeping with the corpse of her lover, whom she murdered, for the past forty years. The central part of the story is told in flashback by a narrator who seems to represent the collective memory of an entire town. Within these flashbacks, which time-jump from ten to forty years past, there are hidden clues that prepare the reader for the unexpected ending, such as hints at Emily's madness, her strange behavior regarding the deaths of loved ones, and the ordeal that the murder took place. Without saying it openly, Faulkner, in several cases, implies that Emily has gone mad. At some points in the story, the narrator mentions Emily's great-aunt Wyatt, who "had finally gone completely mad" (para. 25). This is the narrator's insinuation that in a... medium of paper... was the desperate act of a lonely, mad woman who couldn't bear to lose him. The structure of this story, however, is such that important details are given in almost random order, without a clear roadmap connecting the events. The ending comes as a morbid shock, until a second reading of the story reveals the carefully hidden details that foreshadow the logical conclusion. Works Cited Faulkner, William. "A rose for Emily". An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed. Ed. Barnet, Sylvan et al. 287-294.