Question

What does the woman most likely symbolize in these lines from "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner? "They rose when she entered—a small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head. Her skeleton was small and spare; . . . . She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue."

Answer 1

In these lines, the woman might symbolised power and respect . These ideas can be seen when "they rose when she enters" and It might also reveal some old conception of the Southern woman because of her physical description. However this description does not show her as a nice lady on the contrary, it seems to hint her actions.