Literature’s Links:

Defining “Symbol”

an object that stands for itself and a greater idea;

it creates a direct, meaningful link between…

a specific object, scene, character, or

action

abstract ideas, values, persons or ways of

life

Sign vs. Symbol

SIGN SYMBOL

• an object that is taken literally

• one meaning

• an object that can be taken

both literally and figuratively

• it is what it is, and something

more

• links one noun to another

Interpreting Symbols

A symbol can have a variety meanings…

1. PERSONAL: a meaning uniquely associated with our experiences

2. CONTEXTUAL: a private meaning created by an author

3. CULTURAL: a meaning uniquely influenced by our current culture

(ex: dogs represent faithfulness in China, but impurity in Indian/South Asian cultures)

…and…

4. UNIVERSAL: a meaning that is given to a thing by most people and cultures

(ex: lions suggest deity, power and courage in many cultures)

NOTE: these may be hard to discern because in order to discover these, you have to put aside your own personal and cultural lenses (i.e. your attachment to your soft,

loveable, stuffed lion, Somba).

fire

Nazi cruelty

Contextual Symbols: Night

night/darkness

absence of God

fire

hope for rescue/ connection to

civilization

Contextual Symbols: Lord of the Flies

night/darkness

fear

American flag

freedom

Cultural Symbol

Job well done

Cultural Symbol

Socialism

America Soviet Union

owl

wisdom

Universal Symbol

GREEN

• jealousy

• environmentally conscious

• growth

• comfort

• renewal

• life

• youth

• open

• security

BLUE

• sadness

• open

• calm

• solitude

• reflection

• truth

• goodness

• cold

• depth

Spotting a Symbol• Look for:

▫ Repeated colors or

objects

• Unusual character

names.

• Objects that have

cultural/universal

meaning—

Christmas tree, owl,

flags.

Emphasize key ideas or themes

• Shakespeare uses poison to

symbolize the human

tendency to take something

good (i.e. life) and destroy it.

• Emphasizes the way the

Montagues and Capulets

hatred poisons Romeo and

Juliet’s love.

Stress Plot

• A storm can represent

impending trouble, such

as in Chapter 9 of Lord

of the Flies.

• The death of Candy’s dog

in Of Mice and Men

foreshadows the death of

Lenny, stresses the death

of innocence.

Insight into Characters

• In Taming of the Shrew,

Petrucio’s wedding costume

symbolizes his control over

Kate.

• She has no choice but to

marry him, even though he

looks like a clown, showing his

authority from the start.

A Note on Interpretation:

A piece of writing will always mean more than a writer intended because of personal associations. You may not understand all of the contextual symbols an author uses, but might get meaning out of something the author never planned.

We can derive meaning from the symbol itself, but can also make inferences based on how a universal symbol is exhibited or used.

(ex: Universally, water represents life and purity, so how we might interpret the use of a

Polluted river in a story?)