Symbolism
January 20th 2007 13:17
Symbolism has been a part of story telling for as long as man has been telling stories. This being the case why should writers worry about symbolism now. Surely, by now, it must be second nature .
Well, it is most certainly second nature to man. We can’t escape it. Often we don’t even see it on a conscious level. We can sit down with a well written book and experience an emotional roller coaster ride as we identify with the characters. Their problems, emotions and memories all echo within our own being. At the end of this reading experience we might say that the author writes well. The punctuation is in all the right places. The spelling is correct. Even the font is easy to read. But then these things hold true for many business reports and scientific papers, yet the thrill is not there.
Symbols are the real key to story telling. Books, movies, plays, poetry and even the ads that sell us our toothpaste all make use of symbols.
Symbols in story telling, be it books, poetry, plays or movies are the spices that give stories the rich flavour of emotion, the feeling of moods and the insights to characters actions. Just as a cook has many spices in his kitchen the writer must have a selection of symbols in his larder.
Symbol Systems; On a basic level there are two symbol systems.
On one side there are Personal Symbols and on the other are Universal Symbols.
Personal Symbols are those symbols that relate to a person on the personal level. While the same symbols may have meaning for other people, it may not be the same meaning. Personal symbols need to be ”loaded” into the story to work. Thus it may be that the protagonist at the beginning of a story declines to eat in a rooftop restaurant because heights upset him. This loads the symbol of a fear of heights for this character so that at the climatic scene of the story we know what it means to the hero when he has to climb out on a window ledge to save his girl. It is not necessary to stop and explain that the hero is afraid of heights at the point he is climbing through the window.
Universal Symbolsare those that seem to have the same type of meaning across societies and often across the whole human species. To talk about Mom’s apple pie in America is as good declaring your love of God, your country and freedom. Across the Pacific the humble meat pie invokes mate-ship, football and the local pub. These universal symbols belong to countries and cultures. There are also universal symbols that cross cultural boundaries. These symbols may be part of what has been called racial memory or the collective psyche of the human race. These symbols have an effect on people without being loaded. The swastika has come to be a symbol of evil in the last fifty years. Before Hitler, the swastika was recognised by several diverse and separate cultures as a symbol of good fortune. Christians recognise the cross and indeed are themselves recognised by the cross. Natural Symbol Systems are those symbols that are taken from nature. They are more often than not universal symbols. They also cross cultural boundaries.
These symbols comprise:
The Elements i.e. Earth, Air, Water and Fire
The Planets
Weather Symbols and the symbolism associated with atmospheric phenomena
Natural Landscape Features mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, caves
The Seasons The time of year. Summer and winter solstice
Times of Day noon, midnight, dusk, dawn etc.
Animals birds, marine life, insects plants and trees
Symbols in My Life Symbols in my life come from several belief systems. On one side I have a Italian Catholic back ground. Half of my family are Italian. This has left my life littered with religious symbols of a faith I don’t accept. The symbols have been loaded in my psyche and I cannot get rid of them. I still respond to these symbols no matter what I think of the Catholic faith. It must be said that my response may not be the same as the church intended. I also carry within me another symbol set. This is also religious. I was brought up in the First Baptist church. So I have been cursed with two sets of symbols for God and church. But wait there is more I have a third set of symbols hidden within my psyche for I also have a Cherokee back ground. This set of symbols is buried quite deep. The symbols in this set are of an older and much more earth and animalistic nature. I find that things that I have not learned still cause a resonance within me when exposed to symbols of a Native American origin. Over the top of all this is another set of symbols. This set comes from just being an American. This set is more of a veneer laid over the others. This may be because my mother did not bake apple pies. It may be because I have lived outside the U.S. longer than I lived inside. To top it all off I have wrapped a layer of symbols from Australia around the whole lot. This was a set of symbols acquired over the last thirty odd years. This set was easy. A lot of it was there anyway through the Native American connection. Red earth, animals and Aboriginal icons all speak to the symbols of my Cherokee heritage. This is important to me as coming to Australia was like coming home. The symbols fit like a favourite well worn coat.
Well, it is most certainly second nature to man. We can’t escape it. Often we don’t even see it on a conscious level. We can sit down with a well written book and experience an emotional roller coaster ride as we identify with the characters. Their problems, emotions and memories all echo within our own being. At the end of this reading experience we might say that the author writes well. The punctuation is in all the right places. The spelling is correct. Even the font is easy to read. But then these things hold true for many business reports and scientific papers, yet the thrill is not there.
Symbols are the real key to story telling. Books, movies, plays, poetry and even the ads that sell us our toothpaste all make use of symbols.
Symbols in story telling, be it books, poetry, plays or movies are the spices that give stories the rich flavour of emotion, the feeling of moods and the insights to characters actions. Just as a cook has many spices in his kitchen the writer must have a selection of symbols in his larder.
Symbol Systems; On a basic level there are two symbol systems.
On one side there are Personal Symbols and on the other are Universal Symbols.
Personal Symbols are those symbols that relate to a person on the personal level. While the same symbols may have meaning for other people, it may not be the same meaning. Personal symbols need to be ”loaded” into the story to work. Thus it may be that the protagonist at the beginning of a story declines to eat in a rooftop restaurant because heights upset him. This loads the symbol of a fear of heights for this character so that at the climatic scene of the story we know what it means to the hero when he has to climb out on a window ledge to save his girl. It is not necessary to stop and explain that the hero is afraid of heights at the point he is climbing through the window.
Universal Symbolsare those that seem to have the same type of meaning across societies and often across the whole human species. To talk about Mom’s apple pie in America is as good declaring your love of God, your country and freedom. Across the Pacific the humble meat pie invokes mate-ship, football and the local pub. These universal symbols belong to countries and cultures. There are also universal symbols that cross cultural boundaries. These symbols may be part of what has been called racial memory or the collective psyche of the human race. These symbols have an effect on people without being loaded. The swastika has come to be a symbol of evil in the last fifty years. Before Hitler, the swastika was recognised by several diverse and separate cultures as a symbol of good fortune. Christians recognise the cross and indeed are themselves recognised by the cross. Natural Symbol Systems are those symbols that are taken from nature. They are more often than not universal symbols. They also cross cultural boundaries.
These symbols comprise:
The Elements i.e. Earth, Air, Water and Fire
The Planets
Weather Symbols and the symbolism associated with atmospheric phenomena
Natural Landscape Features mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, caves
The Seasons The time of year. Summer and winter solstice
Times of Day noon, midnight, dusk, dawn etc.
Animals birds, marine life, insects plants and trees
Symbols in My Life Symbols in my life come from several belief systems. On one side I have a Italian Catholic back ground. Half of my family are Italian. This has left my life littered with religious symbols of a faith I don’t accept. The symbols have been loaded in my psyche and I cannot get rid of them. I still respond to these symbols no matter what I think of the Catholic faith. It must be said that my response may not be the same as the church intended. I also carry within me another symbol set. This is also religious. I was brought up in the First Baptist church. So I have been cursed with two sets of symbols for God and church. But wait there is more I have a third set of symbols hidden within my psyche for I also have a Cherokee back ground. This set of symbols is buried quite deep. The symbols in this set are of an older and much more earth and animalistic nature. I find that things that I have not learned still cause a resonance within me when exposed to symbols of a Native American origin. Over the top of all this is another set of symbols. This set comes from just being an American. This set is more of a veneer laid over the others. This may be because my mother did not bake apple pies. It may be because I have lived outside the U.S. longer than I lived inside. To top it all off I have wrapped a layer of symbols from Australia around the whole lot. This was a set of symbols acquired over the last thirty odd years. This set was easy. A lot of it was there anyway through the Native American connection. Red earth, animals and Aboriginal icons all speak to the symbols of my Cherokee heritage. This is important to me as coming to Australia was like coming home. The symbols fit like a favourite well worn coat.
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