This paper analyzes the importance of past in the two short stories. The past stories on Charlie in “Babylon Revisited” is a mirror image of the U.S. in 1920s, reflecting the mental disorder and loneliness of the young generation after WWI. Emily in “A Rose for Emily” is haunted by dead people, suggesting her inability to adapt to the present world. However powerful the past is, it can never hinder the pace of social progress. The paper analyzes the importance of past in the two short stories. The past stories on Charlie in “Babylon Revisited ” is a mirror image of the US in 1920s, reflecting the mental disorder and loneliness of the young generation after WWI. Emily in “A Rose for Emily ” is haunted by dead people, suggesting her inability to adapt to the present world. However powerful the past is, it can never hinder the pace of social progress.