Southern Matters “Just because something is traditional doesn't mean it should be done, of course. » -Lemony Snicket. “Battle Royal” is a story by Ralph Ellison that explores the South through the life of a black teenager haunted by his grandfather's last words. A Rose for Emily is a short story by William Faulkner that recalls the life and death of Emily Grierson, a strange small-town resident. In these two stories, decadence, tradition, and betrayal overwhelm the South, trampling on any potential moral justice. In the South today, morality is rare. Instead, a great love of pleasure, money, and fame fills the communities and inhabits its people. This decadence exists in both "Battle Royal" and "A Rose for Emily" and plays an important role in the main character's life. In "Battle Royal", The Invisible Man is forced into brutal combat and humiliatedly slandered in his attempt to pursue a better future. Decadence is present in men who prove their social and wealthy status by dehumanizing black men and fighting them like one would animals. The Invisible Man tries to please white men but claims that he "is not ashamed of his grandparents for being slaves." He is only ashamed of himself for “having been ashamed at one time” (227). Slavery in the South was then over, but equality was clearly far from being achieved. In "A Rose for Emily", Emily Grierson is raised in a sheltered environment, because her father was decadent and refused to allow a man to be her suitor. She was exempt from taxes because Colonel Sartoris made up a story that "Miss Emily's father loaned money to the town." The decadence in both of these stories proves crucial, harming both main characters at some point in their lives. Ho...... middle of paper ......l us, "then we noticed a second imprint of a head on the other pillow" and the room looked like the one around the time of a marriage. For this reason, it is possible to infer that Homer would not marry Emily, which would betray her herself by murdering her. The problems of the South existed in the past and still exist today. Decadence, betrayal and tradition remain, ignoring the morals and values ​​the South should acquire. In these two short stories, the problems of the South cause suffering and sorrow for the main characters. The context of these stories is significant in how the South dealt with issues that caused the behavior of surrounding characters. Emily Grierson and the Invisible Man were different, but also similar. With different origins and family structures, they still face the same problems of the South..