Literary Symbolism
In his 1896 essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James describes the symbolic and
allegoric as “a presentation of objects casting … far behind them a shadow more
curious and more amusing than the apparent figure.”
Allegory
a narrative in verse or prose in which the literal events (person, places, and things)
consistently point to a parallel sequence of symbolic ideas. This narrative strategy is
often used to dramatize abstract ideas, historical events, religious systems, or political
issues.
The names of characters often hint at their symbolic roles.
An allegory has two levels of meaning:
1. Literal: tells a surface story
2. Symbolic: level in which the abstract ideas unfold
Example of allegory in literature:
In James Joyce’s short story, “Araby,” the priest carries several messages.
Joyce, who was an apostate (one who abandons or renounces his or her
religion), implies that the Church (represented by the priest) is dead -- the
Church as the former tenant of the House that is Ireland.
Symbols
a person, place, or thing in a narrative that suggests meanings beyond its literal sense.
Symbol is related to allegory, but it works more complexly. In an allegory an object
has a single additional significance. By contrast, a symbol usually contains multiple
meanings and associations.
Symbols in fiction are often inanimate objects.
Example of inanimate object as symbol:
The invisible watch ticking at the end of Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” not
only represents the passage of time, but further suggests that time passes
without being noticed, and that the chain is gold implies wealth and authority.
Symbols in fiction are not always inanimate objects.
Example:
In Joyce’s, “Araby,” the very name of the bazaar, Araby—the poetic name for
Arabia—suggests magic, romance, and alludes to the collection of West and
South Asian folk tales, One Thousand and One Arabian Nights; its syllables
“cast an Eastern enchantment over [the boy].”
Conventional Symbol
A literary symbol that has a conventional meaning for most readers.
Example:
A black cat crossing a path or a young bride in a white dress.
Symbolic Characters
Symbolic characters make brief cameo appearances. Such characters often are not
well-rounded and fully known, but are seen fleetingly and remain slightly mysterious.
Example:
The brief scene with the young lady at the bazaar acts as the turning point for
the story, as everything goes downhill for the boy from here. The mystical
place of his mind is revealed by the girl to be enemy territory for the young
Irishman, as the British are running the bazaar.
Symbolic Acts
A symbolic act is a gesture with larger significance than usual.
Example:
As the boy sets out in pursuit of a trinket for Mangan’s sister, he “held a florin
tightly in [his] hand,” as if to suggest that he is blind to outside forces (such as
religion or politics) that will prevent him from realizing his goal.
Example:
Before setting out in pursuit of the great white hale, Melville’s Captain Ahab
in Moby-Dick deliberately snaps his tobacco pipe and throws it away as if to
suggest that he will not let pleasure or pastime distract him from his
vengeance.
Recognizing Symbols
Authors (and storytellers) often give symbols particular emphasis.
It may be mentioned repetitively
It may supply the story with a title (“Araby,” “Barn Burning”)
A crucial symbol may open or close a story.
An object, an act, or a character is surely symbolic (and almost as surely displays high
literary art) if, when we finish the story, we realize that it was that item which led us
to the author’s theme, the essential meaning.