owing. "Even in the first section of the story there are numerous hints at the final portrait of the Miss Emily of section five." Davis cites the description of Emily's house as "an eyesore among eyesoresàsymbolizing Miss Emily herself in its 'coquettish decay.'"
A crucial use of foreshadowing and symbolism is the development of the "smell" emitting from the Grierson home. Because of Miss Emily's position in the town, no one dare question her about it, so the townspeople must attempt to mitigate the foul smell in secret. As Strandberg points out, "the townspeople are reduced to skulking about her place after midnight spreading saltpeter against the mysterious bad smell" which he also refers to as "a nice clue for the detective format" of the story. Symbolically, the smell represents decay of a life style, that of the Old South, but also the decay of something very real: Emily's murder of
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