Symbolism and Allegory
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Symbol
Identifying Symbols
Allegory
Practice
Symbol
A symbol is a person, place, thing, or event that
stands both for itself and for something beyond
itself. Symbols may be
• personal
• public
• literary
Symbol
Personal symbols have special meaning for an
individual.
Symbol
Public symbols are widely recognized throughout
a culture and sometimes even universally.
Note
Symbol
Literary symbols are created when writers assign
a special, symbolic meaning to something. They
appear in works of fiction, poetry, and drama.
Color symbolism
Symbol
Symbols, whether public or literary, work by
association.
red rose
apple on a desk
late night knock
Symbol
Authors can make use of well-known symbols,
create their own symbols, or combine elements of
both public and literary symbols.
Public
Symbol
white
+
Private
Symbol
whale
=
Literary
Symbol
Moby Dick
[End of Section]
Identifying Symbols
Not all literary works contain symbols. How do
readers know when something is symbolic in a
story and when it is not?
Characteristics of Symbols
Are often visual
Often reappear throughout the work
Are a form of figurative language and stand for
something essentially different from themselves
Usually relate to the work’s theme
Identifying Symbols
Quick Check
. . . there stood against the western wall a
gigantic clock of ebony. . . . and when the
minute hand had made the circuit of the
face, and the hour was to be stricken,
there came from the brazen lungs of the
clock a sound . . . of so peculiar a note and
emphasis that . . . while the chimes of the
clock yet rang, it was observed that the
giddiest [dancer] grew pale, and the more
aged and sedate passed their hands over
their brows . . . .
What might
the clock
symbolize?
from “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar
Allan Poe
[End of Section]
Allegory
An allegory is a narrative in which characters
and settings stand for abstract ideas or moral
qualities.
• In an allegory, the entire story
is a symbol for something in
human life.
• Sometimes allegorical
characters are named for the
abstract quality they represent,
such as Good Deeds or Pride.
Allegory
One type of allegory is the fable. Fables
• are brief stories that teach a
practical lesson about life
• are set in fantasy worlds
where animals speak and
think
• often have animal characters
that symbolize vices and
virtues
Allegory
Another kind of allegory is the parable. Parables
• are brief stories that teach a lesson about moral
behavior or ethics
• are set in the ordinary, everyday world
• feature humans as characters
Allegory
Quick Check
A certain man went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among
thieves, which stripped him of his garments
and wounded him and departed, leaving
him half dead.
And by chance there came down a
certain priest that way, and when he saw
him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise a Levite . . . passed by on
the on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan . . . took
compassion on him and went to him and
bound up his wounds . . .
Which now of these three . . . was
neighbor unto him that fell among thieves?
from the King James Bible, Luke 10:30–36
Is this excerpt
from a fable
or a parable?
How can you
tell?
[End of Section]
Practice
How many symbols can you find in
public life? Try identifying what the following
things stand for.
1. dove with an olive branch
2. blindfolded woman holding a pair of scales
3. yellow rose
4. yellow ribbon tied around a tree
5. dragon (dragons stand for different things in
the East and the West)
6. pink ribbon on a lapel
[End of Section]
The End