The one that represent tradition in the face of change would be : Nathan.
Throughout the face of changes, nathan is the one that still held traditional value from all the character above.
He still insist on working hard on the land and really dissapointed when none of his children want to follow his footsteps.
It's certainly sensory. And it's figurative too. I think I'd pick figurative because the central piece of language is a simile. That's pretty good use of language when you compare the bobbing heads of flowers to helmeted soldiers.
