Definition
Symbolism is the practice of using tangible elements - objects, colors, animals, weather, settings, even character names - to represent abstract concepts like love, death, freedom, or corruption. Unlike a metaphor, which makes a one-time comparison, a symbol accumulates meaning over the course of a story through repetition and context. The green light in Gatsby doesn't mean 'hope' because Fitzgerald tells you so. It means hope because of how the story uses it, returns to it, and ultimately extinguishes it.
Why It Matters
Symbolism is how you give your writing resonance - that quality that makes a story linger in a reader's mind long after they finish it. It lets you communicate complex emotional and thematic ideas without ever stating them directly. Readers who catch your symbols feel a deeper connection to the work, and even readers who don't consciously notice them still feel the accumulated weight of meaning. It's the difference between a story that entertains and one that haunts.
Types of Symbolism
Famous Examples
The green light at the end of Daisy's dock symbolizes Gatsby's unattainable dream - and more broadly, the American promise that's always just out of reach.
The conch shell symbolizes civilized order and democratic governance. Its physical destruction mirrors the collapse of the boys' society.
The mockingbird symbolizes innocence that's destroyed by cruelty - Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are both 'mockingbirds' in the novel's symbolic framework.
Common Mistakes
If a character says 'this broken mirror represents our shattered relationship,' you've killed the symbol. Let the reader make the connection. That's where the pleasure lives.
If everything in your story is symbolic, nothing is. Choose a few key symbols and develop them thoroughly rather than scattering dozens of shallow ones.
If rain symbolizes grief in Chapter 2 but joy in Chapter 8 without a clear reason for the shift, you'll confuse your reader. Symbols gain power through consistent association.
Try It Yourself
Choose an object that appears in something you're currently writing - something ordinary like a key, a window, a pair of shoes. Write three short scenes featuring that object, each in a different emotional context. By the third scene, does the object start to carry meaning beyond itself? That's symbolism building through repetition.
The Story Bible tracking where specific symbols appear across your chapters, so you can ensure they're used consistently and build meaning over time.
Track your symbols across the whole manuscript.
Novelium's Story Bible lets you tag and track symbolic elements throughout your work, showing you exactly where each symbol appears and helping you maintain consistent symbolic meaning from first chapter to last.