What does the braziers symbolizes in masque of the red death?

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," the braziers symbolize the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death. They illuminate the revelry within Prince Prospero's masquerade, representing the attempt to ward off the encroaching darkness of the Red Death. However, their flickering flames also foreshadow the fragility of this illusion, as they ultimately fail to protect the guests from the inescapable fate that awaits them. The braziers thus serve as a poignant reminder of the futility of trying to escape death.