Alienation and isolation in a rose for EmilyWilliam Faulkner, one of the most famous writers of our times, explores the themes of alienation and isolation in his writings. She interweaves these themes with her female characters. In A Rose for Emily, Miss Emily Grierson is an alienated woman who lives isolated from the people of her town. The theme of isolation is the focal point of the story, as it is what drove her to madness. Faulkner's theme of alienation returns many times in his writings. In the book The Major Years, Melvin Backman states that Faulkner was looking for a more dignified life and more dignified people in the midst of evil. He was looking for love, innocence, simplicity and strength, but he also knew that these things were hidden from reality. “With Faulkner, as with all men, the personal condition underlay and shaped his view of the human condition” (Backman, p.183). The critic goes on to note that the men in Faulkner's works tend to undermine women and their role in society. . Women are oppressed and are usually controlled by men. Women try to fight the men in their society and try to find a way to escape their clutches. They are reluctant to stand up to men and instead tend to hide. Backman notes that “The will to face reality seems to be giving way to the need to escape” (p.184). Miss Emily is a woman who made the whole town wonder what she was doing, but didn't give anyone the pleasure of finding out. Once the men she cared about in her life abandoned her, dying or simply leaving her, she went into hiding and didn't let anyone get close to her. Miss Emily was truly afraid to face the reality Backman talks about. Because she didn't want to accept the fact that the people she loved were gone, she hid in the house and didn't come out. She was the perfect example of a woman alienated by a society controlled by men who cause her problems instead of helping her. Minrose Gwin, author of The Feminine and Faulkner, states that many of Faulkner's female characters, including Emily Grierson, are "indeed active and disruptive subjects in their narratives; theirs are voices that denounce and subvert male power" (Gwin, p.