Four symbols in "A Rose for Emily" are the watch she wears, the taxes she doesn't pay, the crayon portrait of her father, and the lime the aldermen spread around her house.
On one of the few occasions when the aldermen actually meet Emily in her home, she appears wearing "a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt." Later it is revealed that there is an invisible watch ticking at...
Four symbols in "A Rose for Emily" are the watch she wears, the taxes she doesn't pay, the crayon portrait of her father, and the lime the aldermen spread around her house.
On one of the few occasions when the aldermen actually meet Emily in her home, she appears wearing "a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt." Later it is revealed that there is an invisible watch ticking at the end of the chain. This symbolizes Emily's refusal to acknowledge the passing of time. It still exists—it keeps ticking—but she keeps it hidden, just as she refuses to pay taxes despite a new era in town, and as she refuses to acknowledge that the time of her romance with Homer Barron has ended.
The fact that Emily doesn't pay taxes in town and the new government can't get her to do so symbolizes her flaunting of all societal norms. At first the taxes were waived for her, much as the townspeople grudgingly acknowledged the social superiority of the Griersons. However, when the taxes are demanded, it represents how the townspeople expect Emily to conform to societal norms now that her lack of wealth is common knowledge. Emily doesn't pay the taxes, and she never begins acting the way her neighbors believe she should.
The crayon portrait of her father that is prominent in Emily's home symbolizes the way that her father's influence continues to affect Emily. Not only did she inherit insanity from his side of the family, but his not allowing her to marry any of the young men in town led to her unhealthy relationship with Homer Barron.
Finally, the lime the aldermen spread around her house is a symbol of their trying to mask the problem of Emily without ever getting at its root. They spread lime because they are too embarrassed to confront her about the smell on her property. In the same way, they don't really pursue the problem Emily represents—they let it continue for decades, even though it turns out she has been guilty of murder and is therefore criminally insane.
These are some of the symbols Faulkner works into "A Rose for Emily."
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