Symbolism – Ways of Showing Meaning Beyond the Literal Meaning

Symbols appear frequently throughout literature as well as everyday culture. To put it simply, symbolism is a literary device that can help to give words or images greater, or more layered, meaning. Symbolism is often used to evoke emotions, help create clear visualizations and to help convey larger, more complex ideas. Symbolism is when an object, person, situation or action stands for something else, usually something abstract and bigger.

What Is Symbolism?

Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify something greater than themselves. For example, a dove is often referred to as a symbol of peace. In this instance, the dove does not need to be interpreted literally. Instead, it has been used as an evocative device to stand for peace and its associated emotions. Symbols are often more timeless than the literal meaning of words. For example, the use of a dove to represent peace has been around much longer than the modern word ‘peace’ itself.

Using Symbols in Literature

Symbolism has been a tool used in literature since the beginning of time. From ancient Greek myths to romanticism in the eighteenth century, symbols have been used to evoke human emotions, explore human meaning and shade meaning in to situations and words. Symbolism continues to be a major part of literature today. Writers often use symbolism to illustrate a theme in their story, such as life and death, or love and hate.

Using Symbols in Everyday Life

It isn’t just authors who use symbolism. Symbolism is used in everyday life too. Many of the symbols we use in everyday life are so ingrained in our culture, we often don’t realize how often it is used. For example, the hands on a logo symbolizes the company’s philosophy or mission. The colors of a country’s flag often carry a symbolic meaning as to who lives in that country.

Symbolism is a powerful tool to help bring clarity and emotion to stories, artwork, logos and everyday language. Understanding the importance of symbolism and how to use it can become a great asset no matter what a person’s profession is.