Shalla ON: Symbol and Allegory in Fiction

Shalla ON: Symbol and Allegory in Fiction

What is a symbol?

In literature, symbol is a thing that suggests more than its literal meaning. It does not stand for one meaning or anything definite. Instead, a symbol is a clue that can help figure out the story’s theme.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, large bespectacled eyes stares across a wilderness from a billboard advertisement. It appears in the story several times. A character notices it as like the eyes of God that watches life unfolding.

In Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, the great white whale means more its dictionary definition of a mammal that lives in the sea. As the story unfolds, Moby-Dick shows to imply the forces of nature and the whole created universe.

Unlike allegory, persons, places and things that clearly stand for definite things, a symbol can have indefinite, multiple meanings. For instance, in a simple allegory like Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown, the character, Faith, stands for and reflects exactly for that.

Then there are supreme allegories that are found in biblical parables.

Ie. “The kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field…,” (Matthew 13:24-30)

As for classic allegory, this can be found in Everyman, where the hero represents all of us. And there’s George Orwell’s Animal Farm where barnyard animals stand for totalitarian oppressors and human victims.

In fiction, symbols are usually not abstract (like love or beauty) but perceptible objects (or descriptions that help us imagine objects). As in William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, Miss Emily’s invisible watch indicates the passage of time and also represents the idea that time passes and people like its owner doesn’t notice.

Furthermore, the golden chain that hangs on the watch implies the owner’s wealth and station. Besides perceptible objects, symbols can be words, names, a body part or attribute.

In James Joyce’s Araby, the name of the bazaar, Araby, is the poetic name for Arabia which implies magic, romance and The Arabian Nights. Then consider the baleful eye in Edgar Allan Poe’s A Tell Tale Heart.

Locales can also be symbols. The café in Ernest Hemingway’s A Clean Well Lighted Place is not just a café but a comforting refuge from aging, fear of loneliness and anticipated death.

How about symbolic characters? These characters are usually flat and only functions to clue us in and add mystery to the puzzle. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkeness, a steamship has two women knitting black wool in the waiting room. Why? They imply the classical Fates.

Faulkner’s Miss Emily, personifies the vanishing aristocrasy in the anteballum South. In a way, all characters are symbolic, helpful in figuring out the story.

How about a symbolic act? It is a gesture with bigger, more significance than usual. In The Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Dawson stands on the front of the ship, arms thrown back, air racing through his hair as he says, “I’m the king of the world!” This suggests his great hopes for a fantastic voyage and that however it unfolds, he trusts it all to destiny.

Okay, so why do it? Why use symbols? Why not just be direct and say things outright?

Symbols can hold so much meaning yet it is so compact. Concrete and mysterious Ie. Miss Emily’s invisible ticking watch, renders us in a dream or a nightmare. Here, the symbol expresses more memorably and more fully what long paragraphs on the subject cannot.

What’s the best way to recognize a symbol?

Watch for words, locales, objects, etc. that the storyteller empasizes and repeats.
It can be the title.
It can open or end the story.
Look out for words, object, action, character, etc. that leads to the theme.

Shalla ON: Do you Read Poetry? How-to’s

Do you Read Poetry? How-to’s

A poem differs from most prose because, for one, it is not as direct. Great poetry hints at meaning and shines clearer and clearer every time it’s read. And just because something looks like a poem doesn’t mean it is. Take for example:

Thirty days hath September,

April, June, and November;

All the rest have thirty-one,

Excepting February alone,

And it has twenty-eight days time,

But in leap years, February has twenty-nine.

Yes, it is in verse (a composition in lines of somewhat regular rhythm, usually ends in rhymes) but is it poetry? Not!

Poetry is more mindful, plays with our imagination and arouses feelings. Sure it can have faulty logic and inaccurate facts. Take for instance, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The astronomy is outdated but it is a great poem.

The point: poetry is sublime. Don’t get caught up with the physical words, float with its empyrean atmosphere, its musical qualities.

Some, like me, find poetry like a puzzle, secretly coded with a message slyly concealed. Sure, it is this too.

Okay, so what’s a good way to read poetry?

1. Just read it from beginning to end. Stay open minded and just push on.

2. Read it again. This time, figure out what it is literally saying. Look up words you don’t know.

3. Paraphrase the poem as a whole.

Sometimes though, paraphrasing doesn’t work. Ie. Poems of religious mystics that are closer to dream than waking; poems like Coleridge’s Kubla Khan, written during a drug experience; and poems embodying private beliefs like Blake’s The Sick Rose; nonsense poems, surreal poems, etc. Try paraphrasing but if you fail, vary your approach.

4. Third reading, read it aloud or listen to someone read it.

5. Dwell on difficult parts as long as you like.

6. What is its theme? Unlike subject (main topic), theme is the central thought of the poem.

For instance in The Lake Isle of Innisfree by William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), the subject is: the lake isle of Innisfree or a wish to live there. But the theme is what you believe most matters in the poem: I yearn for an ideal place with perfect peace and joy.

Or, if reading it with the perspective on the wish to escape the city: This city is upsetting me—I’m going back to nature.

Or, if you choose to sharpen your theme further: I’m quitting the city for my heaven on earth.

To make it easy, themes are sometimes stated on the first lines:
“Gather ye rose-buds while ye may!” Or enjoy love before it’s too late.

Just a note: poets like the theme of carpe diem “seize the day” so you’ll probably come across this one more often

Why does Shalla love poetry? Let me count the ways…

First, it’s subjective everyone’s always right. Go ahead make your own interpretations, you’re entitled!

Bring your personal associations to the poem just distinguish irrelevant digressions with what’s on the page.

Poetry is Similar to Literary Prose

Strategies for reading a poem: reading it straight through, read again, paraphrase, read aloud, use a dictionary, isolate difficult passages etc. are similar to unraveling a good literary prose.

Unlike an easy read (commercial fiction, news article, etc) a poem and literary prose show wisdom that news articles cannot: that the soul yearns for peace and joy, that the lake isle of Innisfree with its “low sounds by the shore” can call the heart forever.

Time for Round 5 Editing--Yeay!!! SHALLA ON: PACQUIAO THRASHES MORALES FOR SUPREMACY!

FYI

Yes, thousands of islands make up the Philippines.

And when Manny Pacquiao’s hand was raised in terrific victory, the earth shook with all the Filipinos jumping up and down!

Congrats to the PACMAN!

Awesome fight!

PACQUIAO THRASHES MORALES FOR SUPREMACY!

***

And as for writing stuff...

Shalla's on to the 5th Round--Tightening my manuscript's literary elements... cool...

Elements of Fiction: Character

Elements of Fiction: Character

Stock Characters are the stereotypical characters: Prince Charming in fairy tales, mad scientists in horror movies, the loyal sidekick in Westerns etc.

Stock Characters are convenient in commercial fiction and requires only minute descriptions and have about one dominant virtue and/or vice. If you’re writing a literary story however, writing main characters who are unique individuals is a must. But even in the best literary novels, minor characters are better flat so they don’t distract us from the main characters.

What is a character? They are imagined persons who inhabits a story. Exceptions are: In George Stewart’s novel Storm, the protagonist is the wind; in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the main characters are animals.

In a well writen story, characters act consistently with their motivation (their reasons why they behave the way they do). If a character starts acting weird then logical reasons and explanations should be given. But these are not hard and fast rules. There are characters who sometimes act for no apparent reason. And characters can change and develop.

For instance in A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer Scrooge, a cheap, mean guy reforms overning and becomes a generous kind person. But Charles Dickens fully shows why Scrooge changes dramatically: 4 ghosts warned and motivated him to.

What is a Flat Character? This character only has one outstanding trait or feature, or at most a few distinguishing marks Ie. The stock character of the mad scientist. He lusts for power, has crazy hair and gleaming eyes.

A flat character has one function. In A Christmas Carol, Tiny Tim is there only to look sympathetic and invoke pity.

Some writers distinguish flat characters with one odd physical feature or mannerism: a nervous twitch; piercing gaze; obsession with the color pink.

Flat Characters tend to stay the same throughout the story (static) while Round Charaters often change, learn, get enlightened, grow or maybe deteriorate (dynamic).

What are Round Characters? This character is described more fully and is portrayed in more scenes with more action, more emotions, more dialogue, etc.

Round Characters can be described by other characters. If they view her differently then we see another facet of her.

We enter a Round Character’s thoughs, feelings and perceptions as we read on and she becomes 3-D.

Choosing Your Character’s Name

1. Names can indicate natures Ie. Miss Golightly in Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s

2. Names can be an allusion or a reference to a famous person, place or thing in history, other fiction or real life Ie. In Moby-Dick, Herman Melville uses names from the Old Testament like Ahab after a tyrant who came to a bad end and Ishmaiel for his narrator. These names allude to the plot and hints the personalities of the characters


Many contemporary writers include the unconscious as motivation in human behavior. Ie. A character might fear dogs, not because he’s a scardy cat by nature, but because of his unconscious memories of being bit by a poodle as a baby. A character is also motivated by age, disease, neurosis, psychic shock, brainwashing, etc.

How to Create Great Characters!

From the Dramatica Theory Book:

Chapter 3: INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTERS

Chapter 4: Objective Characters
Chapter 5: Drivers and Passengers
Chapter 6: Character Elements intro
Chapter 7: 16 Character Motivation Elements
Chapter 8: Complex Characters in Gone With the Wind
Chapter 9: Complex Characters in Rear Window
Chapter 10: Other Character Dimensions
Chapter 11: Character Problem Solving and Justification
Chapter 21: Storytelling and Character Dynamics
Chapter 27: Storytelling and Encoding Objective Characters
Chapter 28: Storytelling and Encoding Subjective Characters

From Dramatica: The "Lost" Theory Book

The Lost Theory Book: New Methodology Archetypes
The Lost Theory Book: New Evaluation Archetypes
The Lost Theory Book: New Purpose Archetypes

Shalla ON Elements of Fiction: What is Setting? And Kate Chopin's The Storm

Round #4 Time to revise my manuscript and make sure its Elements of Fiction: Setting, Character and Symbols shine.

What is Setting?

In award winning literary stories, setting is not just background, it acts like another character that prompts other characters to act; leads characters to realizations or make them reveal their deep nature.

While setting includes the physical environment of a story (house, town, store, locale etc) it is also the time of the story (year, decade, hour, etc) Stories where setting is key make sure the time matters.

Ie. In Kate Chopin’s The Storm, it is because of the time of day (daylight) that makes what happened in the story more surprising.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the fact that the setting is in early 17th century Boston, helps us understand why and how much the adulterous woman who had an illegitimate child shocked the stern, God-fearing New England Puritan community. The reader will not understand it as much if it happened, say, in a modern boisterous city.

Setting can also be regarded as the story’s whole society ie. Beliefs and assumptions of its characters.

Besides time and place, setting can also include weather, especially when the weather is crucial in the story.

For instance, the climate is a substantial character in William Faulkner’s Dry September. After 62 rainless days, a long heat wave has unnerved a small town, causing its main character, an angry white supremacist to become plagued with irritations. One remarks, the weather is “enough to make someone do anything.” When a false rumor circulates that a black man raped a woman it provokes a lynching. This story can only be understood when we take into account that it happened in the 1930’s in a small town in Mississippi during a very bad heat wave.

Regional writers who usually set stories in one geographical area find setting (as physical place) to be vital. These writers bring the setting (as physical place) alive: William Faulkner usually sets his novels and stories in Mississippi; Kate Chopin, Louisiana; Willa Cather, frontier Nebraska; James Joyce, Dublin. They show that setting (as physical place) can profoundly affect the person who grew up in it.

Setting and Character can reveal each other. In Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, Emily’s house, once handsome now “an eyesore among eyesores” surrounded by gas stations, still stands, refusing to evolve with the times in “its stubborn and coquettish decay” reveals Emily's personality.

Setting and Theme can parallel each other. In John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums, the story begins with a fog that sealed off a valley from the rest of the world, a fog like a lid on a pot. (the theme is a woman’s desires and potential closed off)

Setting can be one with Characters, Theme, and Symbols as in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

Setting evokes emotion. In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart, describing the setting in an old, dark, lanter-lit house makes the story more creepy.

Sometimes, setting do not matter all that much. In W. Somerset Maugham’s fable, The Appointment in Sumarra, all we need to know is that it’s set in a marketplace in Bagdad.

So, I read Kate Chopin’s (1851-1904) The Storm and talk about desperate housewives among desperate housewives. Step aside Edie Britt!

The Storm is a scandalous story. I was shocked to find that women in the 1800’s had salacious affairs that rival what we have now. (I should’ve known of course, remember Oedipus?)

No. Cheating with your ex-boyfriend when you’re married while your husband and child are delayed somewhere is not something Jerry Springer promoted for ratings. It’s been going on back in the days—and I mean back, back in the days of our great grandparents and our great, great grandparents.

Like to read The Storm? Click Here

Free Resources for Writers

Character Building Workshop at Writers Village University


The Character Builder
Character Test 1
Character Test 2
Character Test 3
Character Builder Tips
The Character Archetypes
The Motivator
The Actor
The Inventor
The Architect
The Promoter
The Artisan
The Entertainer
The Composer
The Wizard
The Teacher
The Mentor
The Overseer
The Detective
The Loyalist
The Defender
The Director
The Character Poles Defined
Introversion/Extroversion
Sensing/Intuition
Thinking/Feeling
Judgment/Perception
Corresponding Character Disorders:
Obsessive-Compulsive (Teacher)
Avoidant (Mentor)
Paranoid (The Motivator)
Histrionic (The Actor)
Sadistic (Director)
Schizotypal (The Wizard)
Compensatory-Narcissistic (The Inventor)
Schizoid (The Architect)
Passive-Aggressive (The Overseer)
Depressive (The Detective)
Masochistic (The Loyalist)
Dependent (The Defender)
Narcissistic (The Promoter)
Antisocial (The Artisan)
Borderline (The Entertainer)
Cyclothymic (The Composer)

Shalla Finishes 3ND Round of Editing--Yeay!!! Shalla On: What are Themes?

Shalla Finishes 3ND Round of Editing--Yeay!!!
Themes in my novel are now more clearly defined.

What are themes? They’re ideas or insights your story reveal.

Themes can be the moral of the story.

In romance: Love is all there is.
In a detective story: Crime doesn’t pay.

Sometimes, themes are larger and more abstract.

In Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” the theme is “loss of innocence” or “initiation to maturity.”

In literary fiction, themes are not as obvious as with commercial fiction. Themes do not have to be a moral or a message, they can be the summation of ideas.

How do you figure out the theme of a story?

Make sure you look to other elements in the story besides plot.

1. Look at the title of the story. From what you have read, what does it indicate?

2. Does the character change? Does the character come to a realization/understanding? Did you realize/understand something you didn’t before?

3. Any general observations of the author about life or human nature? Any observations by the characters? Make sure the character’s opinions are those that support a theme.

4. Any objects, curious flat characters, significant animals, repeated names, song titles, etc. that hint a larger meaning? In literary stories, symbols usually point to central themes.

5. Good literary fiction: themes are not just a summary of the plot, they’re embedded into the essence of the story

6. The truth of the theme must encompass the whole story, not just a part of it.

So why do it? Why incorporate themes?
If you’re writing commercial fiction (romance, mystery, horror, etc) you don’t need to go too in depth, just entertain your readers. To those writing literary fiction (me), themes focus scattered impressions.

Themes clarify the nuggets of wisdom in our stories.

I love that. To me, that’s rewarding. When I figured out the theme in John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums, I was overjoyed. It’s like figuring out a puzzle.

Read a literary story first for enjoyment and basic understanding then read it again and figure it out. The 2nd time I read literary fiction, I mark things with a pencil, encircling possible symbols, words that stand out to put together in the end. You like pure entertainment? Go for commercial fiction. You like to use your mind and think more about the story? Go for literary fiction.

Now for Round #4

Time to Punch up Elements of Fiction: Plot, Character, Setting, Point of View, Style, Tone and Language, Theme (make it flow), Symbolism, Allegory and Image, etc.

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