Setting in "A Rose for Emily" In William Faulkner's “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner's details about setting and atmosphere give the reader background as to the values and beliefs of the characters, helping the reader to understand the motivations, actions and reactions of Miss Emily and the rest of the town, and changing the mood or tone in the story. The setting in “A Rose for Emily” is Faulkner's fictitious post- civil war Jefferson, a small town in the deep south of the United States. Faulkner's use of this particular time-period or genre, is successful in giving the reader an understanding or background to the values and beliefs of the characte