The era in which a woman lives defines, in part, who she becomes and the potential challenges she may experience. During the post American Civil War era, the South, desperate for something to cling to after losing the war, becomes fixated on upholding tradition and both men and women are controlled by the expectations of these traditions. Unfortunately, some traditions can become so regimented that they adversely restrict a woman's ability to thrive and develop into a stable and content individual. In the short story A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, Faulkner develops the idea that adverse conditions such as rigid controlling societal expectations and a lack of love and close personal relationships may cause a woman to be shaped into the very images she tries to avoid; that of an oppressive, delusional and deceitful person. Emily Grierson is subjected to an adverse life with a traditional father who controls every aspect of her existence. She lives a life devoid of love and any knowledge of the nuances of relationships. When he dies she finally has the opportunity to take control of her own destiny with the possibility of love, but unfortunately the adversity of her life has shaped her into a delusional woman, who like her father, must oppress other people and deceive them in order to maintain a relationship with them. Emily Grierson, the protagonist, is a woman who lives her life according to the traditions and expectations created by a society shaped by the post-Civil War era. Ladies of this era were cherished and protected but also powerless to men who were considered superior. Due to their upper class the people of Jefferson think of Emily and her father as the high and mighty Griersons(Faulkner 153). What should have been an ideal life of wealth, power, and contentment becomes a rigidly controlled life under the oppressive demands of her father. Like other young ladies of her era, Emily was destined to have a grand life being a debutante in society, going to parties and being courted by gentleman of her class. Her goal would have been to marry a gentleman and become a respected wife and mother. Unfortunatel