What does rose symbolize in A rose for Emily?

Answer 1

The house in "A Rose For Emily" reflects judgment from the community at large who are on the outside looking in. It is clearly a picture of wealth, undoubtedly from wealth derived in some part from slaves. Comments about the house show the town's intolerance for those within. Her watch symbolizes the slow, sometimes cruel passage of time, in which chances dwindle by the minute for happiness. Her servant, Tobe whose hair has, turned gray over time is another symbol of the passage of time. Finally the lime and arsenic used on Homer, show the need to get rid of what is vile and cover it so it in some way becomes acceptable.