What Is Symbolism? | Definition & Examples
Symbolism is a literary device where characters, objects, actions, or ideas are ingrained or associated with a deeper meaning beyond the literal sense. Simply put, symbolism is the idea that things can represent other things.
Symbolism can convey abstract ideas, themes, or emotions. It allows writers to indirectly communicate complex concepts, create layers of meaning, and encourage readers to think more deeply about underlying messages within a story.
Other examples, however, are very specific and can only be understood in a specific context. For example, in the movie Citizen Kane, the word “Rosebud” refers to the protagonist’s literal snow sled he owned as a child, but it symbolizes his lost childhood and an unattainable past.
What is symbolism?
Symbolism is a literary device that storytellers use to represent ideas, qualities, or themes within a story. Anything can be a symbol, but objects, people, and animals are commonly used.
The key aspect of symbolism is that the symbol is literally one thing but represents something else metaphorically. Symbolism adds depth and complexity to narratives and allows readers to interpret hidden meanings and broader themes.
While symbolism is often found in art and literature, it can be used for simpler purposes. It can also help us navigate our environments (e.g., a green traffic light symbolizes that it’s safe to proceed) or convey complex ideas (e.g., a flag represents a specific country with its borders, cultures, and norms).
On a symbolic level, however, the panopticon symbolizes surveillance, control, the internalization of authority, and social control. The panopticon and its themes have shown up in works from Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish to The Matrix.
How is symbolism used in writing?
Symbolism can be used in many ways in writing. Authors use it to add complexity by communicating abstract ideas in a way that allows readers to interpret and understand certain themes or tropes on a deeper level.
Symbolism can be used to:
Build themes
While symbols sometimes appear only once in stories, they are often repeated to reinforce ideas and build recurring themes. A motif is a recurring element that appears throughout a narrative to reinforce a particular concept or mood.
As the story continues, the condition of the conch deteriorates, as does any sense of order or civility among the boys. By the end of the book, the conch shell is shattered, symbolizing the complete breakdown of order and the triumph of savagery.
The conch is repeatedly used throughout the story to build importance around what the conch symbolizes.
Create imagery
Writers can use symbols to create a specific mood or atmosphere and add a sensory experience to the narrative. Storytellers can evoke powerful visual and emotional responses by associating objects, colors, or other elements with deeper meanings.
The green light symbolizes Jay Gatsby’s longing for Daisy as well as wealth and status. Many readers believe the light is green because that is the color of money, adding another level of understanding to what the green light symbolizes.
Define characters
Symbols can represent the development of a character by revealing their personality, motivations, and desires.
The hat represents Holden’s need for uniqueness but also represents his feelings of isolation. The red hunting cap is one of Holden’s defining traits and reflects his inner turmoil as a character.
Convey abstract ideas
Writers use symbolism to provoke thought and express ideas that may be too complicated to express through words.
Throughout the journey, Santiago faces trials and tribulations, like being robbed. He meets the king of Salem, who tells him he must follow omens and learn to recognize the signs of the universe. Eventually, Santiago meets the Alchemist, who teaches him about the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life.
Taken at face value, these events are just part of the story. In the context of symbolism, they all represent the moral of the story, which is that the journey is just as important as the destination.
Symbolism examples
There are numerous types of symbols used throughout storytelling, from inanimate objects (e.g., the ring in The Lord of the Rings) to animals (e.g., the white whale in Moby Dick).
Symbols often vary between cultural, religious, and literary contexts. They can also take on a variety of meanings based on personal experience, such as in a Rorschach test.
Inanimate object symbolism
The table below lists numerous inanimate objects and what they typically represent in Western culture.
| Symbol | What it symbolizes |
|---|---|
| mirror | self-reflection, identity, or truth |
| clock | mortality, urgency, or the passing of time |
| light bulb | knowledge, inspiration, or enlightenment |
Animal symbolism
Animal symbolism is commonly used in stories, myths, and folklore from cultures all over the world. Because animals sometimes have an uncanny similarity with humans, they can be powerful additions to any story.
| Symbol | What it symbolizes |
|---|---|
| owl | wisdom, knowledge, or mystery |
| dove | peace, love, or purity |
| horse | freedom, nobility, or travel |
How to use symbolism in your writing
Using symbolism in your writing allows you to say more with less. However, using symbolism effectively requires nuance and forethought. Here are some strategies for using symbolism in your writing:
Make your symbols both subtle and clear
If you explicitly tell the reader what your symbol represents, it will likely feel like a heavy-handed addition to your story. However, being too subtle about the meaning of your symbolism might make the reader miss the importance of it.
Try to give the reader just enough clues—through context and imagery—to notice the symbolism without being too obvious. Additionally, when your symbolism is subtle, you allow the reader to interpret it through their own personal lens, allowing for a more unique experience.
Choose symbols that align with your theme
Using symbolism in your writing is meant to add to your story, not detract from it. Choosing your symbols (and what they represent) wisely allows you to bring depth and meaning to your story’s theme, not distract the reader from it.
Use recurring symbolism to show importance
A symbol mentioned only once in your story can show symbolism, but repeating it throughout the story emphasizes its importance. In effect, it tells the reader to pay attention to the object and what it represents.
Connect symbols to character development
Symbols can be powerful tools for communicating a character’s growth, development, or transformation. Linking a symbol to a character creates an additional layer of meaning and can give the reader clues about the character’s motivations, struggles, and personal development.
Frequently asked questions about symbolism
- What is an example of symbolism in literature?
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A classic example of symbolism in literature is the white whale in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.
Captain Ahab, the protagonist, enters a relentless pursuit of the white whale. Throughout the novel, the white whale appears only sporadically, but its presence looms over the entire narrative, and more specifically, Captain Ahab.
The white whale is most commonly thought to be symbolic of both the unattainable as well as how obsession can destroy and consume individuals.
Scribbr’s Paraphrasing Tool can help you choose the perfect wording to express your thoughts in your writing.
- What is the difference between allegory and symbolism?
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Allegory and symbolism are similar, but they have one key difference.
In a narrative that uses symbolism, the symbol is a singular element that adds to the greater story. When a narrative is an allegory, nearly every plot element represents something in the story.
For example, the green light in The Great Gatsby is an example of symbolism because it’s a single element within the bigger picture.
However, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is an allegory because everything from the cave to the people, fire, shadows, and chains—basically, all of the major elements of the narrative—represents something to form the bigger picture.
Scribbr’s Paraphrasing Tool helps you explore new ways to express yourself in your writing.
- What is the difference between symbolism and metaphor?
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Symbolism and metaphor are easy to confuse. However, they are two different literary devices.
Symbolism relies on symbols (objects, people, or colors) to represent abstract ideas or concepts. It usually has a direct connection to what it represents, and its meaning can evolve throughout the narrative. For example, in The Scarlet Letter, the letter A initially stands for “adulterer” but evolves to mean “able” by the end of the story.
A metaphor compares two seemingly unrelated things, stating that one thing is another. Metaphors are often brief, like the phrase “She’s a night owl.” The purpose is to create vivid imagery, exaggerate a trait, or express a complex idea.
Symbolism and metaphor both compare two things to each other, but symbolism is when one thing represents another, and metaphor is when one thing is another.
Scribbr’s Paraphrasing Tool can help you find the right wording for symbols and metaphors in your writing.
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Cove, R. (2024, October 27). What Is Symbolism? | Definition & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/rhetoric/what-is-symbolism/
