Sentence:  Gunny <WSD>symbolized</WSD> so much that was unpleasant - Tolley , the indifference with which the Fairbrothers and indeed the whole neighborhood now treated her and which she would die rather than acknowledge to her husband , his lack of understanding and sympathy in her present condition , her disgusting swollen stomach . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  express indirectly by an image, form, or model; be a symbol