| What are allegory and symbol? |
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Allegory (from Greek allgorein, interpret) and symbol (from Greek sumbolon, token for identification) are figures of speech with metaphoric meaning. These are words that have two levels of meaning: one which lies on the surface of the word and is its literal, material meaning and the other which lies deeper and is the figurative, metaphorical meaning. Metaphorical meanings develop from the feeling of cognation and connection between an object that is designated by a certain word in the language and a different object onto which we transfer the verbal designation. Thus, for instance, the word УmorningФ (=the early part of the day) can be compared with the beginning of a personТs life. The principle feature of allegory and symbol is their long history. Most of them trace back to ancient legends, rituals and ideas about the world. Certain words from time immemorial have been engraved on the human mind as symbols. Later these words attracted literary artists and, being included into their works, acquired new meanings. In the same way allegory lives in the human memory for many centuries and serves as the embodiment of the concepts of justice, good, evil, moral virtues. Allegory does not drastically change over the years of its existence and therefore it is understood by people of different historical periods. For example, the goddess Themis that is portrayed with her eyes tied and holding scales will always remain the incarnation of justice. However there is a great difference between allegory and symbol. Allegory is the presentation of a particular abstract concept by an image. An allegory has a single meaning, and the connection between the image and the concept is established by analogy or contiguity (e.g. a heart is the allegory of love). On the contrary, a symbol (the image) is closely tied to its meanings and is not anyhow limited for interpretation. A multitude of meanings is accumulated in each symbolic image. A symbol becomes transparent and its perspectives of meaning shine through. For example, not only does УspringФ stand for a season of the year, but it is also a symbol of youth, the first love, the beginning of a new life, etc. In contrast to allegory, symbol is not always easily deciphered. A symbol cannot be decoded by a simple strain of the mind and there is no rational formula which can explain a symbol. The reader is expected to experience the atmosphere of the text, to live through it in order to understand the meaning, and the number of meanings that comes into light depends on the peculiarities of the individual reader. |
