7.2 Novel Symbols Assignment

Thinking Critically

As we saw earlier in the Symbols in Poetry assignment, symbolism is one of many literary devices that authors use to bring their stories to life and make them more interesting for readers. In literature, symbols often reflect an emotion or an idea and significantly impacts how a character views the world and/or how they transform.

How to Tell When Something Is Really a Symbol¹

1. Look at descriptions. If a character is always dressed in purple clothing and wearing a crown, these items probably symbolize the character’s power, wealth, and royal status. If the items disappear later in the story, you can see the character might have lost power and royal status.

2. Look for repetition. Symbols hardly ever appear just once.  If a character only appears at night throughout the book, the character probably represents some evil or mystery. Or, if there is a focus on hands in scenes with related characters, it likely represents the idea of safety or protection, depending how the hands are described; maybe it could be a representation of violence.

3. Pay attention to the turning points in a story.When a symbol does only appear once or twice in a story, it’ll be around the turning points. Think about a rainbow after a large storm. The characters may have struggled through the storm, but the rainbow symbolizes hope and peace.
   

^{1 "How to Identify and Write About Literary Symbols With ... - Kibin." 18 Dec. 2017, https://www.kibin.com/essay-writing-blog/identify-write-about-literary-symbols/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2018.}