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Theme and Symbolism

Theme and Symbolism. Theme. Theme – the general idea or insight the entire story reveals.

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Theme and Symbolism

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  1. Theme and Symbolism

  2. Theme Theme – the general idea or insight the entire story reveals. In commercial fiction, the themes are readily obvious. In literature, such is not the case. The theme need not be a moral or a message; it may be what the events add up to, what the story is about. In literature, theme aims for deeper and more comprehensive statements of the larger meaning .

  3. Symbolism Symbol- A person, place or thing that suggests more than its literal meaning. The bespectacled eyes in The Great Gatsby are referred to as the eyes of God watching the procession of humanity. A symbol does more than stand for any one meaning. In Moby Dick the white whale may suggest the universe, nature, the devil, evil incarnate, or the limitations of human power.

  4. Allegory A story in which persons, places, and things form a system of clearly labeled equivalents. Example :the medieval play Everyman, Pilgrims Progress (the character Christian struggles on the road to salvation or the most modern- Orwell’s Animal Farm- a tale of totalitarian oppression with animals as symbols).

  5. Symbols in Stories Example: In “ A Rose for Emily” , the watch is suggestive of the passing of time as unnoticed by its owner. The gold chain represents wealth and authority in gold . In “ A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, the café represents refuge or sanctuary.

  6. Symbolic Characters The women dressed in black in The Heart of Darkness suggest the classical Fates. They are present in the lobby where mean are hired to work in the Congo. Emily, in “A Rose for Emily” is representative of the vanishing antebellum South with her aristocratic demeanor, black servant and the fact that she is swindled by a Yankee.

  7. Symbolic Acts Symbolic acts are gestures with larger significance than usual . Example: Captain Ahab snaps his pipe in two before launching on his pursuit of the great white whale. The gesture suggests that nothing will distract him form gaining his revenge.

  8. Recognizing Symbols They are compact and concise as powerful expressions of meaning . The writer gives special emphasis in the form of repetition, placement at the opening or closing of a story, or in the title. We recognize symbols as that which leads us to the author’s theme or essential meaning.

  9. Source: Glau, Gregory R., Barry M. Maid, and Duane Roen. The McGraw-Hill Guide Writing for College, Writing for Life. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

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