Question

"Goodness gracious! Is that you, Mr. Bumble, sir?" said Mrs. Mann, thrusting her head out of the window in well-affected ecstasies of joy. "(Susan, take Oliver and them two brats upstairs, and wash 'em directly.)—My heart alive! Mr. Bumble, how glad I am to see you, sure-ly!"
Now, Mr. Bumble was a fat man, and a choleric; so, instead of responding to this open-hearted salutation in a kindred spirit, he gave the little wicket a tremendous shake, and then bestowed upon it a kick which could have emanated from no leg but a beadle's.

"Lor, only think," said Mrs. Mann, running out,—for the three boys had been removed by this time,—'only think of that! That I should have forgotten that the gate was bolted on the inside, on account of them dear children! Walk in sir; walk in, pray, Mr. Bumble, do, sir."

Although this invitation was accompanied with a curtsey that might have softened the heart of a church-warden, it by no means mollified the beadle.

"Do you think this respectful or proper conduct, Mrs. Mann," inquired Mr. Bumble, grasping his cane, "to keep the parish officers a waiting at your garden-gate, when they come here upon porochial business with the porochial orphans? Are you aweer, Mrs. Mann, that you are, as I may say, a porochial delegate, and a stipendiary?"

What does Mr. Bumble's cane symbolize in the passage?

A. his social ineptitude

B. his extreme insecurity

C. his self-conscious displays of authority

D. his ability to handle difficult situations

Answer 1

I think the cane represents C. HIS SELF-CONSCIOUS DISPLAYS OF AUTHORITY.

Notice that when people using canes are in public, people around them make it a point to make sure that they get out of the way to ensure that the person using a cane will not be hindered. People are more quick to react or help if they find that the person in need is using a cane or is in a wheelchair. 

Majority of people using canes are those who are elderly, thus gaining immediate respect and subservience from others.

Answer 2

i think the answer is C. his self-conscious displays of authority

hope i help