Miss Emily is different, because she has none of these trappings of womanhood, and so, the other women concern themselves with her life and plight. They feel sorry for her, and pity her, but they do not take any steps toward befriending or understanding her. Faulkner writes, "Being left alone, and a pauper, she had become humanized. Now she too would know the old thrill and the old despair of a penny more or less" (Faulkner). The women are not humanitarians, which is another clue to their place in society. They do not seem themselves as caring or helpmates, they see themselves as aloof and removed from the situation, and no one puts out a hand to Miss Emily in friendship or concern. They leave those details to the men, who ignore them entirely. In fact, these southern women are not very nice, and Faulkner makes that very clear throughout the story. Faulkner makes it very clear throughout the story that her father, who carried a bullwhip even in the house, dominated Miss Emily. This implies that he chased away any chance at love Miss Emily might have had. She does not find a sweetheart until after her father dies, and she is so sheltered and incapable of dealing with rejection that she cannot deal with the fact this man might not really love her. Her father has not prepared her for life in the "real" world, and so, she has no real tools to deal with rejection, loss of love, and lack of concern from others. Instead, she kills the man she loves so she will never be "alone,"...

They meddle in her affairs, send the minister to talk to her, and even notify her relatives of her "scandalous" behavior. They concern themselves with what she does, but never make an attempt to help her, or even understand her, and so, they are essentially the villain of the tale. Their gossip drives her to become a recluse, and perhaps even drives her mad. The women have little role in society, and so they fill up their time with gossip and unreal expectations for others, to make up for what is lacking in their own pitiful lives.
In conclusion, this story is the tragic tale of love gone wrong and a town that turns its back on a needy woman. Miss Emily is a tragic figure because she cannot face reality. That is at least in part because of the role southern women play in society. Miss Emily was dominated by her father, never found someone to truly love her, and was ostracized by the "normal" women of the community. It shows how insignificant women really are in southern society, and how they can cut each other to the bone with their gossip and lack of concern for others.