While the descriptions of the town certainly change throughout the course of the story, even the descriptions of Miss Emily's house reflect the changing economic and social conditions.
Her house, intricately decorated with cupolas, spires, and scrolled balconies, has fallen out of date and into disrepair. The speaker says that her house used to be white, which suggests that it has yellowed with age or that the paint has chipped to reveal the material underneath. The speaker also says that her house is located on "what had once been our most select street," suggesting that it is no longer select.
The description of Miss Emily's attitude towards change, as she seems hostile to others and even vanquishes tax collectors from her property, shows that she does not care for the modern. When the town implements a postal service, she will not even accept address numbers. When the next generation grows up, no one is interested in Miss Emily's china-painting lessons, so her doors remain closed for the rest of her life. The town advances and becomes modernized, and time seems to pass around Miss Emily. The only unchanging aspect of the story is everyone's curiosity and interest in the life of Miss Emily.
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