Various aspects of Symbolism

Symbolism

Focus of Symbols

Symbols are images that have meaning beyond themselves. In a short story, a symbol is a detail, a character, or an incident that has meaning beyond its literal role in the narrative. When a flower, the moon, or a fountain is used as a symbol, it comes to mean more than the bloom of a plant, a source of light at night, or a device that recycles water. It is pregnant with a larger significance; it means something beyond itself. The moon for instance may stand for change, uncertainty, lack of continuity. Or the pale moon may stand for the ‘night’ side of our existence, for the hidden part of our character that shuns daylight. Symbolic language gives expression to the art of thinking in images. A symbol is an image that is not presented for its own sake. Imaginative literature involves us in sensory, sensuous experience that often seems richer than what our blunted senses take in from day to day. As we read, the mind’s eye takes in images -vividly imagine details, shapes, textures. But often we sense that there is more there

than meets the eye. Something tells us: “The sun in this story is not just a physical fact. It becomes overpowering, threatening. It leaves the landscape parched; it dries up sources of life-giving water. It means something -it tells us something, if only we knew how to read between the lines.”

When we reach the climatic incidents in Bowen’s “Tears Idle Tears” we can read them on a literal level: the boys meets a girl in the park and he watches a duck move into the pond. He finally stops crying. However, as we watch how the boy interacts with the girl on the bench and how he attempts to capture the duck before it enters the pond, we already sense that this is no routine incident for the boy. It’s not just another day in the

life of Frederick. This is the first time that he is able to talk to a woman on equal grounds and to stand up for himself. When we think about the girl we begin to realize how different she is from Frederick’s mother. Both Frederick and the girl appear to be rebelling against what seems to Frederick’s idle tears. The girl becomes a symbol on

many levels helping Frederick to break away from his mother’s domination and tyranny. As Frederick breaks away he sees the duck once again floating freely on the lake, its head erect. The duck becomes a symbol of Frederick’s release from shame and guilt. He is now able to stand up for himself (it is only the duck that he remember years later). When his mother returns, she focuses on the swan (another symbol in the ugly duckling story). Symbols are concrete and tangible first. The literal-minded reader therefore may see only their physical surface. Not all readers may sense a larger symbolic significance, and different readers may read the same symbol differently. However, to respond fully to a story, the reader must become sensitive to possible symbolic overtones and implications.

The Language of Symbols

Much of what imaginative literature tells the reader it does not say in so many words. Although symbols in fiction come to you through the medium of language, they are in a way a nonverbal language. Like the gestures of the actor, or the drumbeats of a symphony, they do not put verbal labels on what they communicate. The reader has to decode, interpret, put into words what the images seem to tell him. Responding to symbols is a way of reading between the lines. A literary symbol is something which means more than what it is. It is an object, a person, a situation, an action, or some other item, which has a literal meaning in the story but suggests or represents

other meanings as well. For example, most names are simple labels. Seldom does a name tell anything about the person to whom it is attached. In a story, however, the author may choose names for his characters which serve not only to label them but also to suggest something about them. A character named Mr. Black may come to represent something dark or evil while Miss White might represent the virtues of the virgin. Symbolic use of object and actions is also important. Creatures also assume representative significance. As one interprets the language of symbols, he should keep the following in mind:

•some symbols come into a story from a shared language of symbols

(Much in human experience has traditional symbolic associations: the dawn with hope, the dark forest with evil, clay with death, water with fertility. Light is often the symbol for knowledge, for enlightenment.)

•some symbols have a special personal meaning for the writer and their meaning

may come into focus as they return again and again in the writer’s words

literary symbols are rich in associations; but they do not merely signal one short message (The skull and bones that say poison have a clear message -danger. Literary symbols do not just say “danger”. One of the oldest symbols in Western literature is the garden. It brings with it a wealth of associations: the Garden of Eden with its innocence and happiness before the fall -a symbol of nature fruitful and life-sustaining. It also might suggest the oasis in the desert or a retreat from the intrigues of daily life, business, or politics -we retreat there to create our own garden. But it can represent a place of combat where one struggles against weeds and pests.

•symbols acquire their full meaning in the context of the story (Remember the nature of the duck in Tears, Idle Tears and the ugly duckling story.)

•to be called a symbol, an item must suggest a meaning different in kind from its

literal meaning; a symbol is something more than the representative of a class or

type

•symbols may be ambiguous (The whale in Moby Dick appears to represent both good and bad -to the captain it represents everything that is destructive; but for some it represents everything that is serene and beautiful in nature.)

The Central Symbol

Often a central symbol becomes the focal point of a story. A central symbol focuses the reader’s attention. It provides a tangible object for the reader’s emotions -since many of us find it hard to anchor our feelings to disembodied ideas. Rather than reinforcing and adding to the meaning of the story, a central symbol carries the meaning. A central symbol becomes the hub for meaning and associations. It may slowly evolve, acquiring full meaning as the story as a whole takes shape. In “A Japanese Quince” the rich central symbol of the tree with the blackbird in it helps give shape to the story as a whole. Watch how its appearance slowly changes and shifts evolving as the central symbol in the story.

Decoding Symbols

Here is what you should look for when focusing on the role of symbolism in a story:

•explore the full range of possible associations of a symbol ( a snake may symbolize

danger but it may also symbolize guileness or alienation)

•trace the full meaning of a gradually evolving central symbol (the rocking horse)

•look for secondary symbols that echo the major theme of the story (the train in Paul’s Case)

•look for contrasts or polarities (the two women in Tears, Idle Tears)

•relate key terms specifically to the story

•look for the personal connection

Classification of Symbols

There are two basic types of symbols we encounter:

1. Arbitrary Symbols (those we use in everyday life and include such things as the Canadian National Anthem, the Canadian flag, hand gestures)

2. Literary Symbols (those used in literature)

a. Universal Symbols (defined by K. Jung as part of our collective unconscious and that we use all the time) -the wolf, the jungle, etc.

b. Defined Symbols specific to be a piece of literature (pre-selected by the writer and given meaning within the context of the story) -the rocking horse, the Japanese quinze, the swan, the bull.

Definition of Symbolism

Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.

Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant. Sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word spoken by someone may have a symbolic value. For instance, “smile” is a symbol of friendship. Similarly, the action of someone smiling at you may stand as a symbol of the feeling of affection which that person has for you.

Symbols do shift their meanings depending on the context they are used in. “A chain”, for example, may stand for “union” as well as “imprisonment”. Thus, symbolic meaning of an object or an action is understood by when, where and how it is used. It also depends on who reads them.

Common Examples of Symbolism in Everyday Life

In our daily life, we can easily identify objects, which can be taken as examples of symbol such as the following:

• The dove is a symbol of peace.
• A red rose or red color stands for love or romance.
• Black is a symbol that represents evil or death.
• A ladder may stand as a symbol for a connection between the heaven and the earth.
• A broken mirror may symbolize separation

Examples of Symbolism in Literature

To develop symbolism in his work, a writer utilizes other figures of speech, like metaphors, similes, allegory, as tools. Some symbol examples in literature are listed below with brief analysis:

Example #1

We find symbolic value in Shakespeare’s famous monologue in his play As you Like It:
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
they have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,”

The above lines are symbolic of the fact that men and women, in course of their life perform different roles. “A stage” here symbolizes the world and “players” is a symbol for human beings.

Example #2

William Blake goes symbolic in his poem Ah Sunflower. He says:
“Ah Sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveler’s journey is done;”

Blake uses a sunflower as a symbol for human beings and “the sun” symbolizes life. Therefore, these lines symbolically refer to their life cycle and their yearning for a never-ending life.

Example #3

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights presents almost every character, house, surroundings and events in a symbolic perspective. The word “Wuthering”, which means stormy, represents the wild nature of its inhabitants. The following lines allow us to look into the symbolic nature of two characters:

“My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods. Time will change it; I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath a source of little visible delight, but necessary.”

The phrase “foliage of leaves” for Linton is a symbol for his fertile and civilized nature. On the contrary, Heathcliff is likened to an “eternal rock” which symbolizes his crude and unbendable nature.

Example #4

Sara Teasdale in her poem Wild Asters develops a number of striking symbols:
“In the spring, I asked the daisies
If his words were true,
And the clever, clear-eyed daisies
Always knew.
Now the fields are brown and barren,
Bitter autumn blows,
And of all the stupid asters
Not one knows.”
In the above lines, “spring” and “daisies” are symbols of youth. “Brown and barren” are symbols of transition from youth to old age. Moreover, “Bitter autumn” symbolizes death.

Function of Symbolism

Symbolism gives a writer freedom to add double levels of meanings to his work: a literal one that is self-evident and the symbolic one whose meaning is far more profound than the literal one. The symbolism, therefore, gives universality to the characters and the themes of a piece of literature. Symbolism in literature evokes interest in readers as they find an opportunity to get an insight of the writer’s mind on how he views the world and how he thinks of common objects and actions, having broader implications.