What do the rose and thorns symbolize in the following passage? Charles caught the eye of the mayor’s youngest daughter, Elena. Elena was impressed with Charles’s jolly and helpful nature. None of the other boys were as chivalrous as he was, either. But her parents thought he was unworthy of their daughter's affections. For his part, Charles knew he was no prince. But he had fallen in love with a rose in the garden—a rose like the one he held in his hands as he tried to look for Elena at the fair. But then he saw her with another young man from town. As he looked on, his hand clutched the rose tighter, and the thorns dug into his palms. A few drops of blood escaped from the wound, but Charles remained oblivious to the pain. A. life and love B. beauty and pain C. hope and joy D. life and death