The haunted house setting used in "A Rose for Emily"� is a classic idea used by many writers and movie directors. The old house in the middle of a field begins to set the tone that people avoid this place as much as possible. Then Faulkner throws in over grown weeds and a decaying old look to show the reader that this house has its own secrets to hide. With only the setting, even the most casual reader can tell that this story is going to have a bizarre or even morbid ending. Throughout the tale Faulkner also gives small details of the inside of the house such as dusty and moldy furniture.
The second thing that makes this a predictable ghost story is the protagonist Miss Emily. She is a creepy old woman who people know little about. She stays secluded from society and hides herself and most of her home from the public eye. In the beginning of the story you get the impression that she is just a crazy old woman, but you soon realize that she is hiding something from everyone. Also, Miss Emily's attitude towards the public is very standard of most ghost stories. She is very cranky and shows no respect to others. The reader gets an image of an old withered woman who has a bow in her back and walks with a cane.
The final additive that makes such a predictable ghost story is the missing fiancé. The reader is told early in the story that Miss Emily was very attracted to a northerner named Homer Barron. He was a foreman in a construction company that resided in town. Homer and Emily got along real well in the story and they saw each other often. Faulkner then throws in the idea that maybe Homer is gay or attracted to young men. This of course angers Emily immensely because she wanted to marry him. Emily then goes to the local druggist and asked for some arsenic "for rats."� Homer then disappears shortly there after. It's not hard to guess what happens to him.
Three things made this story so predictable: the haunted house setting, the creepy old woman, and the missing fiancé. At the time Faulkner wrote this story it may have been a relatively new idea. For this generation of readers the idea is very old indeed.
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