1. Symbolism and Allegory
Feature Menu
Symbol
Identifying Symbols
Allegory
Practice

2. 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

3. Symbol
Personal symbols have special meaning for an individual.

4. Symbol
Public symbols are widely recognized throughout a culture and sometimes even universally.
The cap and diploma represent the achievement of graduating from high school or college.
The flags represent nations.
The wedding bands represent the vows people make when they marry and their love for one another.
Note

5. Symbol
Literary symbols are created when writers assign a special, symbolic meaning to something. They appear in works of fiction, poetry, and drama.
The white whale from Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick represents the mystery of evil in the world and a quest for an unattainable goal, to which other important goals are sacrificed.
Little Red Riding Hood, of fairy-tale fame, represents the innocence and vulnerability of children.
The scarlet letter A, from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, represents main character Hester Prynne’s sin and fall from grace in her community.
Each of these symbols has passed into common cultural usage.
Color symbolism

6. Symbol Symbols, whether public or literary, work by association.
red rose
apple on a desk
late night knock

7. 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 + =
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8. Characteristics of Symbols
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

9. Identifying Symbols Quick Check What might the clock symbolize?
. . . 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
from “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe
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10. Identifying Symbols Quick Check What might the clock symbolize?
. . . 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
from “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe
The clock is probably a
symbol of the
passing of time and the coming of death. .

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. Allegory
Quick Check
Is this excerpt from a fable or a parable? How can you tell?
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment 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 had 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
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15. Allegory
Quick Check
Is this excerpt from a fable or a parable? How can you tell?
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment 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 had 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
Parable. It’s set in the everyday world, has human characters, and teaches a lesson about ethics.

16. 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
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17. The End

18. Symbol
Note
Different cultures may attach different meanings to some symbols.
For example, the symbolic meanings of colors are not universal.

19. Symbol Color Symbolism
Sometimes authors use colors as literary symbols. What do these colors usually mean in western literature?
white
blue
red
green
Possible answers:
Although writers may associate new meanings with these colors, they commonly have the following associations in western literature:
white—purity, innocence, good
blue—honor, virtue
red—passion, love, anger, blood
green—nature, life, jealousy, envy
purple—nobility, wealth
black—darkness, evil, death, grief
purple
black

20. Identifying Symbols Figurative Language
describes one thing in terms of another
is meant to be understood both on a literal level and a metaphorical level