Literary Symbols

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Literary Symbols
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• Symbol
• An object that stands for or represents something
  else
• We see certain symbols without having to think
  about what they mean

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• Symbols in Literature
• A person place, or thing within a piece of
  literature
• Stands for something other than itself
• Associated with an idea not closely related to
  the object itself
• Not always obvious

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How to spot a symbol in a story

• Not everything in literature can be a symbol.
  That would get really confusing.
• An object that reappears or is referenced more
  than once in a story is often a symbol
• It is referenced in the title
• It seems out of place

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Interpreting what they mean

• Sometimes a symbol represents something that
  looks similar to it
• The Grim Reaper (Skulllooks like death,
  symbolizes death)
• More often, a symbol represents something that
  acts like it
• Justice represented as
• Freedom represented as
• The heart often represents

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On-the-spot symbol analysis

• Look at the following images.
• Explain
• 1) What idea they represent
• 2) How they work as a symbol

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The counterpointWhat do you think?

• There isn't any symbolism. The sea is the sea.
  The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and
  the fish is a fish.
• -Ernest Hemingway, speaking about his classic
  novel The Old Man and the Sea.