Symbolism and Allegory: Layers of Meaning in Literature

2. Symbolism and Allegory

3. Symbols A symbol is often an event, object, person or animal to which an extraordinary meaning or significance has been attached.

4. Where do Symbols come from? • Symbols can be inherited or invented Eg. The Statue of Liberty came to symbolize freedom for people immigrating to the United States by way of Ellis Island.

5. Why create symbols in literature? • Symbols allow writers to suggest layers of meanings and possibilities that a simple literal statement could not convey as well. • Symbols allow writers to convey an idea with layers of meaning without having to explain those layers in the text. • A symbol is like a pebble cast into a pond: It sends out ever widening ripples.

6. Cautions about symbol in literature • The story must provide a clue that a detail is meant to be taken symbolically • The symbol must be supported by the entirety of the text • A symbol may have more than one meaning

7. Allegory • An Allegory is a story in which characters, settings and actions stand for something beyond themselves. • In some types of Allegories, the characters and setting represent abstract ideas of moral qualities. • In other types, characters and situations stand for historical figures and events.

8. Allegory • An Allegory can be read on one level for its literal or straightforward meaning • Allegories are often intended to teach a moral lesson or make a comment about goodness and depravity.

9. Allegory Allegory has two levels of meaning. On the surface, Animal Farm is about animals. But on a second level, the animals stand for types of people or ideas. The way the animals interact and the way the plot unfolds says something about the nature of people or the value of ideas. Animal Farm is strongly allegorical, but it presents a very nice balance between levels of meaning. On the first level, the story about the animals is very moving. You can be upset when Boxeris taken away by the horse slaughterer without being too aware of what he stands for. But at the same time, each of the animals does serve as a symbol. The story's second level involves the careful critique Orwell constructed to comment on Soviet Russia.

10. Symbolism vs. Allegory • A symbol can be a word, place, character or object that means something beyond what it is on a literal level. • An allegory involves using many interconnected symbols or allegorical figures in such a way that nearly every element of the narrative has a meaning beyond the literal level, i.e., everything in the narrative is a symbol that relates to other symbols within the story.