Why is it significant that Homer is a construction foreman and a Northerner in "A Rose for Emily"?

Homer Barron, who almost by default is the antagonist of
the short story, "A Rose for Emily," is symbolized by many of his characteristics.
First, the name: He has a common, folky first name, but a last name that has
aristocratic implications (Barron vs. Baron). The fact that he is a day laborer, a
construction foreman, sets him apart from the aristocratic Griersons. Unlike Emily, who
considers herself "a little too high for what they really were," and makes no attempts
at friendship with anyone (because she thinks most people are beneath her), Homer makes
friends at every turn. The fact that he is a Yankee, and an outsider, makes him
an inappropriate mate for Emily, who comes from Southern aristocracy. He works outside
in the heat of the day, while Emily rarely leaves the darkness of her home. He works
among the common man, and he enjoys their company. The fact that he is a construction
worker symbolizes that he is part of the changing modern generation, destroying and
rebuilding parts of ante-bellum Jefferson. Emily, of course, symbolizes the Old South
and the unchanging values of the 19th century. Homer is said to prefer the company of
men, another hint that Emily's desire for him to marry her will not be accepted. As for
being a Northerner--a "damn Yankee"--Homer was still looked upon by many people as a
"carpetbagger," a man who heads south to make a financial profit off the vanquished
Southerners. Northerners were still hated and distrusted by many Southerners of the
time--there are still Civil War veterans in the town who keep the hatred of the North
alive--and Homer may well have been completely reviled by the people of Jefferson if not
for his warm personality and ease at making friends. Emily's choice of Homer for a
possible spouse made it obvious to many people that he was a desperate last chance at
marriage for a woman who had long since run out of other
options.