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.

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.

staceyg · Answer

Are there answer choices?

anonymous · Answer

The woman once was the rose on or princess - a delicate flower in her father's eye and to the community. But now she is old and frail (withered flower) and the opposite of what she had been before but the people still respected her because of all that she had lost over the years.

anonymous · Answer

the results of hatred, violence, and fear of change
traditions that are bound to die as society changes
extreme forms of austerity and self-control
intense, violent, and repressed desire

anonymous · Answer

so is it tradition

anonymous · Answer

traditions that are bound to die as society changes

anonymous · Answer

thank u