the story once more. Notice in the first line how Emily is described as a fallen

the story once more. Notice in the first line how Emily is described as a fallen monument. The word monument refers to a solid structure of enduring importance or one established in memory of something. This definition applies not only to Emily as a person but also to her house. In fact the women go to the funeral not out of respect for her but out of curiosity about the house. The many descriptions given of the house can be applied to Emily as well. Each began life holding prominence the house by its location and Emily by her familys renown. Each began life as beautiful. However as time passes the house has decayed to an eyesore among eyesores. The end of the story also reveals how Emily has physically aged and become ugly but more importantly has decayed to a terrible moral level that shocks the town. For several years she has slept with a corpse the man she killed.