What Is a Symbol?
A symbol is an ordinary object, event, person, or
animal to which we have attached a special
meaning.
Where Do We Get Symbols?
Public symbols
• have been inherited, or
handed down over time
• are widely known
• show up in art and
literature
Where Do We Get Symbols?
Different cultures may attach different meanings
to some symbols.
For example, the symbolic meanings of colors are
not universal.
For example in China, white is worn at
funerals and red is worn by a bride
Where Do We Get Symbols?
What does each of these symbols stand for? Why
do you think they have taken on the meanings
they have?
justice
love
luck
Where Do We Get Symbols?
Invented symbols
• come about when writers
make a character, object,
or event stand for some
human concern
• sometimes become
well known and gain
the status of public
symbol
Symbols in Literature
Writers use symbols to
• suggest layers of meaning that a simple, literal
statement could never convey
• speak more powerfully to the reader’s
emotions and imagination
• make their stories rich and memorable
Symbols in Literature
Quick Check
The most prominent object was a long table
with a tablecloth spread on it. . . . An épergne
or centrepiece of some kind was in the middle
of this cloth; it was so heavily overhung with
cobwebs that its form was quite
undistinguishable; . . . I saw speckled-legged
spiders with blotchy bodies running home to it,
and running out from it. . . .
“What do you think that is?” she asked me,
again pointing with her stick; “that, where
those cobwebs are?” . . .
“It’s a great cake. A bride-cake. Mine!”
from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
What might the
cake symbolize in
this passage?
What is your
emotional
response to the
description of the
cake?
Symbols in Literature
Quick Check
The most prominent object was a long
table with a tablecloth spread on it. . . .
An épergne or centrepiece of some kind
was in the middle of this cloth; it was so
heavily overhung with cobwebs that its
form was quite undistinguishable; . . . I
saw speckled-legged spiders with blotchy
bodies running home to it, and running
out from it. . . .
“What do you think that is?” she asked
me, again pointing with her stick; “that,
where those cobwebs are?” . . .
“It’s a great cake. A bride-cake. Mine!”
from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
What might the
cake symbolize in
this passage?
lost love,
disappointment,
holding on to the
past
Symbols in Literature
Quick Check
The most prominent object was a long
table with a tablecloth spread on it. . . .
An épergne or centrepiece of some kind
was in the middle of this cloth; it was so
heavily overhung with cobwebs that its
form was quite undistinguishable; . . . I
saw speckled-legged spiders with blotchy
bodies running home to it, and running
out from it. . . .
“What do you think that is?” she asked
me, again pointing with her stick; “that,
where those cobwebs are?” . . .
“It’s a great cake. A bride-cake. Mine!”
from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
What is your
emotional
response to the
description of the
cake?
It gives me the
creeps. It makes
me feel sorry for
the woman.
Practice
A. Think about the great number of symbols we’re
surrounded by in everyday life. For starters, identify what
the items below stand for. Then, see if you can explain the
basis for the symbol—why is this symbol appropriate for
what it stands for?
• A snake
• An owl
• An eagle
• A white flag
• Spring
Practice
B. Here is a brief poem that works on two levels: a literal
level and a symbolic level. A fen is a swampy place. What
does the fen symbolize in this poem?
I May, I Might, I Must
If you will tell me why the fen
appears impassable, I then
will tell you why I think that I
can get across it if I try.
—Marianne Moore
Allegory
Allegory—a story in which characters, setting,
and actions stand for something beyond
themselves, such as
• abstract ideas
• moral qualities
• historical figures or
events
Allegory
Allegories
• can be read on two levels: literal and symbolic
• are often intended to
teach a moral lesson
or make a comment
about goodness and
vice
Allegory
„
Literal meaning
U the story that takes place on the surface
U uses interesting characters and plot to hold the reader’s
attention
Symbolic, or allegorical, meaning
U
the story that takes place beneath the
surface
U
uses characters and events to represent
ideas such as love, freedom, evil, or goodness
Allegory
Characters and places in allegories often have
names that reveal their symbolic significance:
Characters
Places
Death
Vanity
Good Deeds
Ignorance
Celestial City
Vanity Fair
Hill of Difficulty
Valley of Fear
Allegory
Quick Check
One day, Everyman is
summoned by Death to give an
accounting of his life. Everyman
ask his friends Fellowship, Beauty,
Strength, and Good Deeds to go
with him to tell Death that he has
led a good life. Only Good Deeds
stays with him to the end.
—summary of “Everyman”
What do you think
Everyman, the main
character of the
allegory, stands for?
What comment about
fellowship, beauty, and
strength does this
allegory make?
Allegory
Quick Check
One day, Everyman is
summoned by Death to give an
accounting of his life. Everyman
ask his friends Fellowship, Beauty,
Strength, and Good Deeds to go
with him to tell Death that he has
led a good life. Only Good Deeds
stays with him to the end.
—summary of “Everyman”
What do you think
Everyman, the main
character of the
allegory, stands for?
Everyman stands for
every man (or woman).
Allegory
Quick Check
One day, Everyman is
summoned by Death to give an
accounting of his life. Everyman
ask his friends Fellowship, Beauty,
Strength, and Good Deeds to go
with him to tell Death that he has
led a good life. Only Good Deeds
stays with him to the end.
—summary of “Everyman”
What comment about
fellowship, beauty, and
strength does this
allegory make?
Fellowship, beauty, and
strength are fleeting—
they don’t stay with
you to the end.
Allegory
Quick Check
One day, Everyman is
summoned by Death to give an
accounting of his life. Everyman
ask his friends Fellowship, Beauty,
Strength, and Good Deeds to go
with him to tell Death that he has
led a good life. Only Good Deeds
stays with him to the end.
—summary of “Everyman”
On a symbolic level, what
does it mean that only
Good Deeds stays with
Everyman to the end?
Allegory
Quick Check
One day, Everyman is
summoned by Death to give an
accounting of his life. Everyman
ask his friends Fellowship, Beauty,
Strength, and Good Deeds to go
with him to tell Death that he has
led a good life. Only Good Deeds
stays with him to the end.
—summary of “Everyman”
On a symbolic level, what
does it mean that only
Good Deeds stays with
Everyman to the end?
A person’s good
deeds will indicate
whether he or she
has led a good life.
The END