What is Allegory?
Allegory is a literary term carrying a hidden meaning of any type or saying something indirectly concerning the prose. Allegory can be of any type varying from moral, spiritual, or political. It carries a heavy meaning, and an allegory uses symbolism to depict abstract ideas to the readers and evokes a literary sense in the prose. Most of the time, Allegory uses symbolism to show abstract ideas and produce literary meaning in the prose dealing with the historical or conceptual writing of the writer.
Example: In the prose “To kill a mocking bird,” the word mocking has been used to denote innocence and beauty.
With two types of allegories present, they carry a broader meaning.
Two types of allegories are:
- Historical Allegory- They come with historical or modern prose and poems depicting actual events and are sub-divided into four types Classical, Medieval, Modern and Biblical allegory
- Conceptual Allegory- This Allegory comes with a broader view of fiction where actual events do not occur. The writer tries to convey something from his head, creating an aura of abstract ideas.
Allegory does tell the journey of life and has some valid points to remember:
- Allegory amplifies satire by penetrating life and society.
- Different types of qualities can be seen in the plays with names like patience, purity, truth, etc., invoking sense and meaning.
- The theme is developed of metaphors that continue throughout the story defining it into an extended or sustained metaphorical theme play or poem.
What is Symbolism?
Symbolism devotes symbols in the literary world carrying several layers of meaning to understand the basic idea behind the writer’s motive to flourish wisdom. With Symbolism, we can find the plot’s literary meaning and literary sense in a word or phrase.
It takes us to a world penetrating the main idea beyond reality, giving the freedom to writers one needs while writing.
The prime importance of Symbolism is giving writers the freedom to express and also other priorities like-
- They make readers develop a sense of the idea and plot with layers of meaning and opinion.
- Creating meaning from multiple interpretations of phrases or sentences
- The words together form an abstract meaning that goes beyond a reader’s vision creating new ideas and meanings.
An example of Symbolism is: In the lines, “The White moon is setting behind the white wave, and time is set with me, O!”
The lines evoke the Emotion of melancholy where the white moon devotes a colorless source of happiness and resembles nature with the character.
Symbolism helps find the literary meaning and literary meaning through academic sense and emerges as vivid fresh ideas.
Difference Between Allegory and Symbolism
- Allegory interrelates indirectly towards the reader through the writer’s point of view. Allegory characterizes meanings in different ways concerning moral, spiritual, or political, whereas Symbolism denotes symbols and carries layers of meaning in understanding the values and concepts of the plot.
- Allegory is of two types Historical and conceptual Allegory. Historical Allegory comes with natural events and figures, whereas the conceptual Allegory denotes any fictitious work where real events did not occur. On the other hand, Symbolism needs Allegory and comes with imagery, Emotion, etc.
- Allegory expresses abstract ideas to the readers and makes it quite uneasy for the writer to convey Emotion as thought. While Symbolism gives freedom to the writer by expressing Emotion, loneliness, etc.
- Allegory carries meaning within itself, while Symbolism finds literary meaning by describing the context of the text.
- Allegory can be used in Symbolism to generate thought and expression, whereas Symbolism cannot be used in Allegory to create effects or metaphors.
Comparison Between Allegory and Symbolism
| Parameters of Comparison | Allegory | Symbolism |
| Interrelationship | Says something indirectly | Carries layers of meaning |
| Denotes | Denotes Classical, Medieval, Modern, or biblical | Denotes symbols as simile, metaphor or love, etc. |
| Expresses | Gaining abstract ideas | Expresses Emotion, loneliness, etc |
| Meaning | Carries meanings within itself | Tries to find literary meaning |
| Uses | mostly in poems | mostly in plays like moral plays etc. |