Often students hate symbols and what they think of as "symbol-hunting." Perhaps too much emphasis has been placed on "hidden meanings" in stories and poems. On the other hand, noticing possible symbols can help us truly understand literary works, because they add another, deeper layer of meaning. That layer isn't hidden. Just keep your eyes open and have some idea what to look for.
Start with definitions. Symbols are objects that represent abstract ideas. There are two kinds:
- Conventional symbols are generally understood within a culture. For most of us, Uncle Sam represents the U.S. An engagement ring represents committment. Black represents death (but in China, white represents death).
- Literary symbols are those a writer uses within the context of a single work. I might write a story in which carnations represent corruption, or roast chicken represents maturity; another writer might use these very same objects to represent completely different ideas.
Usually symbols are physical objects, like an egg being used to symbolize new life; a clock representing time pasing; or a road symbolizing travel or a new direction in life.
Here is a list of likely places to look for symbols:
- names. In one of my favorite novels, set in Haiti, the protagonist's name is Amabelle (beautiful one) Desir (symbolizing her unmet needs and desires).
- colors. These are usually familiar: green for hope and/or spring, purple for royalty, etc.
- minor characters, especially flat, stereotypical ones. If a protagonist is struggling to overcome his immaturity, and one character keeps trying to get him to return to the old gang, you know the minor character represents his past immaturity.
- weather, time of year, time of day, aspects of geography, and other elements of setting. A few examples:
- an isolated one-room cabin in the woods might represent loneliness, separateness, difference, isolation, etc.
- a crowded urban street might represent instability or pressure
- a sudden storm might represent inner turmoil, or absence of control, or danger, or change
- spring or Easter might represent hope, renewal, new life
- dusk might represent confusion or change
- objects that are
We also talk about symbolic actions, but those are usually pretty obvious.
When is something a symbol, and when isn't it? Or, in the words of a famous saying, "Sometimes a watch symbolizes the passage of time. But sometimes it's just a watch."
Notice the last entry on the list above. If the writer seems to be stressing an object, or it turns up in several forms (maybe there's a watch in the story, and later a clock, and someone checks a calendar), or it has an obvious cultural association (black = death, for example), think possible symbol.
Why bother with symbols?
Even if "symbol-hunting" seems frustrating at first, symbols are important because they help convey the meaning of the story. A story rarely "means" something as simple as its plot line. More often the meaning is more complex than just a series of events, and the message we take from the story depends in part on its subtleties.
Often there's a whole set of symbols. Perhaps a story includes ripped clothing, a stormy day, unmade beds, a malfunctioning computer, and flowers gone to seed, all contributing to the idea of a life out of control.
Sometimes it's hard to pin down a meaning, even when we know that an object is meant symbolically. Just be aware of the possibilities and you should do fine.
