Symbolism
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Symbolism utilizes an object, image, color, or action to represent something beyond its literal meaning. This could be an idea, emotion, or a possibly a primary theme that runs through the entire story. Rather than stating a feeling or concept directly, symbolism allows a tangible detail to carry that meaning, so that an audience can sense it for themselves.
In personal storytelling, symbolism often emerges easily from memory itself. A specific object – a piece of clothing, a childhood home, a faded photo – can represent something far larger than the object itself: a previous time, sense of belonging, the feeling of loss, or the joy of love. The narrative doesn’t need to detail the object’s meaning; by describing it, and returning to the symbol at important moments, its significance becomes apparent in the audience’s mind.
Symbolism works best when it arises naturally from the essence of a true story. A recurring image – a specific color that repeats, a location returned to on occasion, an object that was handed down – achieves its symbolism by way of repetition and context, not through the storyteller detailing its meaning directly.
The power of symbolism lies in its subtlety. When a concept is over-explained, the exposition feels heavy-handed, but when it’s left to resonate quietly in the mind of the audience, they accept it with a sense of discovery. In this way, the audience feels they’ve uncovered a deeper meaning themselves rather than simply being handed it on a platter.
Examples
“My grandfather’s pocket watch sat on my desk through every job I ever quit, a quiet reminder that time, unlike opportunity, never waited for anyone to feel ready.”
“Every major turn in my life seems to have happened wearing yellow – the dress at my college graduation, the raincoat the day I left my marriage, the sweater I wore to my daughter’s first breath.”
“I’ve stood on that same beach at seventeen, at thirty, and now at fifty, each time a slightly different person meeting the same unchanged water.”
“The oak tree in our backyard lost half its branches in the storm the same week my parents separated, and somehow it still bloomed that spring, stubborn and lopsided and alive.”
“Every time I felt lost, I found myself in the kitchen making my mother’s soup, as if enough repetition could stir her back into the room with me.”
these resources will make it more impactful!
The Essential Literary Techniques
The Essential Literary Elements
The Essential Literary Devices
Ten Fundamental Story Blocks