Symbols and Symbolism

Symbols and symbolism took a leading role this past week with world-wide protests of police brutality against minorities. So, this week I want to address symbols and symbolism in your writing.

Symbols are a kind of shorthand to the reader. Without explicitly stating something the author conveys a message or a meaning.

Examples of Symbols and Symbolism

Let’s look at Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. Membership in Gryffindor symbolizes bravery and courage; Hufflepuffs are loyal; Ravenclaw represents wisdom; and the House of Slytherin symbolizes cunning.

Each time J.K. Rowling mentions one of these houses, the reader instantly accepts the defining characteristic for its members. Because Draco is a member of Slytherin, there is no need for Rowling to expound on his cunning and all it entails.

In Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games the wood symbolizes freedom; the capitol is oppression; Katniss’s bow and arrow symbolize survival; the Mockingjay is defiance. Collins’s deliberate use of symbols give added layers to the story.

Adding Layers

The added layers emerge through imagery which sparks an emotional response. The woods of District 12 provide Katniss Everdeen with food and medicine to keep her family alive. We learn in the opening scene how important the woods are to her. They represent freedom from oppression, freedom of spirit, and freedom to follow her passion.

This comfort she feels in the natural world gives her a distinct advantage in the Hunger Games where she is pitted against competitors from every District. Even though she faces obstacle after obstacle, the reader recognizes that she is in her element. Likewise, the bow and arrow symbolize survival. In the woods of District 12 she uses them to hunt for food. In the Hunger Games, she uses them to survive.  

When Collins shows her heroine in the woods with bow and arrow, she’s sending her readers the message that this character will not only fight for her freedom but she will survive.

Back to my original point. Symbols and symbolism surround us in our daily lives. Readers use their own experiences to interpret the symbols you sprinkle throughout your writing. Take for instance the president’s recent visit to St John’s church where he held a Bible aloft for the cameras. The Bible in this case was clearly a symbol. In the comments below share your interpretation of the president’s intended message.