Women had no rights and were belittled day after day. In the story itself, the only African American character in the story is barely mentioned by name, but throughout the story he is referred to as "the nigger". The unnamed character has almost no lines, and his only interaction with white characters is very limited. Here Faulkner shows how low and unworthy these people were considered by Southern culture, and how many of them went almost unnoticed as real human beings. The unnamed black man also disappears towards the end of the novel, just as the body of Emily's ex-love is found, obviously fearing that he might be blamed for the murder..