literary symbol
Meaningful recurring image
A literary symbol is an object, character, or element in a text that represents something beyond its literal meaning.
The green light in Gatsby, the white whale in Moby-Dick, the scarlet letter—each carries significance that extends past the thing itself.
Symbols differ from mere metaphors by recurring throughout a work and accumulating meaning: The raven became a symbol of the narrator's despair.
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- double meaningOne phrase, two senses
- motifRecurring thematic element
- imageryVivid descriptive language
archetype · hero's journey · emblem · sign · deeper meaning · meaning · hidden · hidden message · depth · raven · rose · darkness · light · green light · foreshadowing · serpent · cross · water
literary symbolornament
Thing that beautifies
filler · window dressing · embellishment · set dressing · flourish
literary, symbol, literature, literarily, literate, illiterate, literacy, illiteracy, literal