The thematic content in the previous passage is very representative of the overall story A Rose for Emily. The passage describes the scene of the funeral of Miss Emily Grierson. Emily has a unique relationship with the citizens of Jefferson. She is simultaneously pitied and admired. Emily disconnects from the outside world as she attempts to hold on to her past while denying the present. The men and women of the town gather at her funeral and remember Emily's tragic life. Just like the townspeople, the reader may not understand Emily, yet is led to sympathize with her. Faulkner's description of Emily's funeral also establishes the point of view from which the story is told and helps the reader understand the structure of the plot and the passage of time. "The two cousins ​​arrived immediately." This short, concise phrase at the beginning of the passage suggests the relationship that existed between Emily and her two cousins. This relationship is a blood obligation and the estranged cousins ​​simply arrive to take care of business. The short diction of this sentence does not indicate any emotional bond or hint of remorse for the passage of one's blood. It serves to remind the reader that "poor Emily" was truly alone in the world despite her best efforts to deny change and cling to the past. "The whole town" comes to Miss Emily's funeral "to watch her". Faulkner's word choice of "watch" is an unflattering way of talking about the deceased woman and this leads the reader to believe that some citizens have come for reasons other than to pay their respects or say goodbye. This gives us another look at the relationship Miss Emily had with the people of the town. ... at the center of the sheet ... expressed in a unique narrative that reflects the collective commemoration of Miss Emily's life and death. Older people, just like Emily, see time as relative. The past is not forgotten, but memories are transformed into a present reality and the passage of time is denied and change prevented. In Faulkner's carefully crafted tale, the plot and narrative both support the displacement and manipulation of time. Old people confuse time and are disconnected from reality, fantasizing about their past memories and bringing them into their present life. They view the passage of time as a “huge meadow that no winter ever quite touches, divided from them now by the narrow bottleneck of the last decade of years” rather than seeing time as the present world that follows the progression of time in whose past is fading just like a diminishing road..