Allegory
English II
Academic
Allegory
• Allegory:
– A specific type of symbolism….
– A genre of writing in which the objects,
persons, and actions in a narrative have a
symbolic meaning beyond the facts of the
narrative (www.apexvs.com)
• What does this mean?
– The story as a whole has a meaning beyond the literal
interpretation.
Allegory
• To understand Allegory, you must first
understand the difference between a literal
interpretation and a figurative
interpretation.
– Literal interpretation: looking only at the words
and plot…not looking at the symbolic nature
of anything.
– Figurative interpretation: looking at how the
characters, plot, setting etc can be taken in a
different context (metaphorically).
Allegory
• Here’s an example:
– Lord of the Flies
• Read literally:
– These boys are stuck
on an island
– Ralph is the leader
– Jack is always
fighting Ralph for
power
– Simon is kind of
strange…
Lord of the Flies
• Can also be read as
an allegory:
–
–
–
–
Religious Allegory
Political Allegory
Moral Allegory
Social Allegory
Religious Allegory
Jack:
Simon:
Christ Figure
Evil
Ralph:
Everyman
Supports:
Ralph struggles to find his place between Simon (who is always good) and
Jack (who is usually evil).
Simon is tempted in the forest by the Lord of the Flies (Beelzebub) just as
Jesus was tempted by the devil
Simon is killed by the tribe as he returns with the truth about the “beast” just
as Jesus is crucified for spreading the “truth”.
Political Allegory
JACK: HITLER
PIGGY: CHURCHILL
RALPH: FDR
Think about it in respect to WWII…
Jack commands his choir (and eventually his tribe) as a dictator
Jack constantly attacks Piggy, and Ralph constantly stands up for Piggy
Ralph attempts to be a peacemaker, but he fails.
Moral Allegory
RALPH = COMMON SENSE
JACK = EMOTIONS
PIGGY = INTELLECT
SIMON = SOUL
Moral Allegory
Ralph (common sense) attempts to balance
Piggy (intellect), Jack (emotions), and
Simon (soul) and fails, plunging into a
world of chaos.
How does this explanation fit with the actual
plot of the story?
Social Allegory
Social Allegory
Social Allegory: Ralph (government) tries
to balance Jack (power), Piggy
(technology), and Simon (soul) and fails as
power warps technology, destroys
humanism, and attempts to abolish
government.
How does this fit with the plot of the story?
Allegory
• Other examples of
allegories include:
– The Lion, the Witch,
and the Wardrobe by
C.S. Lewis
– Animal Farm by
George Orwell
– “Young Goodman
Brown” by Hawthorne