Symbols

Critical Thinking

Authors make careful decisions to create meaning within their texts. They use symbols to encourage their readers to engage and interpret the text in deeper detail.

In the short story, "A Man Who Had No Eyes" (pp. 328-330), vision is an important symbol that reflects how the characters either perceive a future or are traumatized by the past.  It is ironic that the same chemical explosion blinded both characters, yet each one dealt with the disaster differently. Mr. Parsons was glad to be alive and had become successful, respected, and admired whereas Markwardt peddled on the streets, bitter and angry over the incident. Readers are not aware until the last line of the story that Mr. Parsons is blind too. This symbol and irony provide a completely new perspective of the story.

Symbolism is one of many literary devices that poets use to bring their poetry to life. A symbol is any object that represents an idea or an emotion. Here’s an infographic of common literary symbols.¹