On the Use of Symbolism in Literature

We use different signs and words to help us identify and communicate all kinds of objects, relationships or ideas. We call these symbols. Symbols are found all over the world and each one has its own story to tell. For example, a red sign we see makes us slow down our car. It is a global symbol with a meaning that warns us to stop.

Of course, there are also symbols in literature. They don’t always have to be there, but their frequent use is not unexpected because they make a difference to the narrative. Let us now look at where they are used.

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Writers use everyday objects to represent larger, more abstract concepts. For example, a rose can symbolise love or beauty, while a broken mirror can represent shattered illusions or bad luck.

Characters may embody specific qualities or represent broader ideas. In allegorical works, characters may serve as symbols of virtues, vices or archetypes.

Colours are also often used as symbols in literature. For example, purple can symbolise nobility and royalty, while white can symbolise purity or innocence.

Natural elements and animals can have symbolic meaning. The rising sun can symbolise hope, while the snake can represent deception or temptation. Foxes can symbolise cunning, swans purity, horses nobility, dogs companionship, cats free spirit and bears strength and rebirth (hibernation and awakening).

Authors may also use symbols derived from cultural or historical contexts. These may have specific meanings that can be understood by a particular readership or society. At the same time, symbols from religious traditions may be combined to convey spiritual or moral concepts. For example, a dove may symbolise peace or the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes it may be necessary to contrast or juxtapose elements to emphasise their symbolic meaning. For example, light and darkness can represent good and evil. One cannot exist without the other.

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But why do writers resort to all this? What does symbolism add to a story?

Symbolism adds layers of meaning to a story, allowing writers to explore complex themes and ideas in a more nuanced way. After all, not every element the author provides can be taken literally. The accompanying symbols encourage the reader to engage with the text on a deeper level.

It also has the power to evoke emotion and resonate with the reader on a visceral level. It may be necessary to create empathy with the reader and it is understandable to use symbols to do this. They can make the narrative more effective by conveying abstract concepts in a way that elicits emotional responses.

On a more global level, symbolism often utilises universal themes and archetypes that transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries. This universality allows writers to communicate ideas that resonate with different audiences. After all, while language, culture and traditions will ostensibly make a difference, there are human similarities. And symbols, as signs and narratives that take the place of words, have the power to cover our differences or emphasise our similarities.

In addition, symbols can serve as a historical touch, give the narrative an aesthetic appearance, provide the author’s personal emphasis or serve as a means of foreshadowing, or even create confusion and increase mystery.

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As we can see, the use of symbolism allows the narrative to gain originality, as it affects the whole theme from many different aspects. Of course, depending on how the author uses his pen, this situation can change or (sometimes) lose its quality with clichéd examples of symbolism.

In George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, for example, the farm itself is a symbol of a corrupt utopia.

The conch in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” symbolises order and civilisation.

The raven in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” symbolises the narrator’s descent into madness and his inability to overcome grief.

In Herman Melville’s famous work “Moby-Dick”, the white whale represents the destructive power of nature and man’s quest for revenge.

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In almost every work, in order to give variety, visuality and uniqueness to the narrative, symbolism is added, either in an abstract and figurative sense or in a concrete and relatable sense. Undoubtedly, its intensive use can cause confusion of meaning or unwarranted thoughts (which the author does not want to mention, but the reader perceives as such). As with anything else, the correct and appropriate use of symbolism can add flavour to the story as a whole or to the story in the background.

Since “Symbolism” is a “theme” method of narrative techniques (or literary devices/literary techniques), other methods in these articles might interest you:

• Chekhov’s Gun and Foreshadowing, as “plot” method of the literary techniques:

• Verisimilitude, as “setting” method of the literary techniques:

• The Fourth Wall, as “perspective” method of the literary techniques:

• Rhetorics, as “style” method of the literary techniques:

• Red Herring, as “plot” method of the literary techniques:

• Monomyth, as “plot” method of the literary techniques:

• Hyperbaton, as “style” method of the literary techniques:

• Eucatastrophe and Deus ex machina, as “plot” method of the literary techniques: