Symbolism can be tough to pin down. What exactly is it? And why should we care?
Thankfully there’s a book that we all know about a boy wizard that happens to do symbolism pretty darn well.
During the last stream, the subscribers voted that we talk about symbolism.
Watch the full video here or scroll down for the highlights.
What IS symbolism?
- Symbolism is when something in the story stands for a bigger idea.
- Simple: A character wears red = symbolic of her fiery and passionate personality
- Deep: A character’s sister dies the night when the weather is stormy and terrible = symbolic of the character’s tumultuous emotions
- Deeper: A character goes on an adventure to kill the evil leader = symbolic of her desire for revenge against her abusive father
- Deepest: A character unifies her country then brutally suppresses her opponents = an allegory to Oda Nobunaga’s conquest of Japan
ANY kind of symbolism can have its own levels, even the name of a character:
- Simple: Fire McFlame (for a fire mage)
- Deep: Pyra Crimson (slightly less obvious)
- Deeper: Dahlia Ranuncule (symbols themselves as the name: red flowers)
- Deepest: Anne Lassells (combination of Anne Askew and John Lassells, who were both executed by burning for heresy in 1546, but whose martyrdom led to the execution of the queen)
Examples of symbolism in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Character description (names, physical appearance, actions)
– Dursleys being fat = symbolizes gorging on their own ignorance, knowledge junk food
– Harry’s lightning scar = symbolizes his difference, the thing he always liked about himself, and magic in general (lightning can kill, but it can also be harnessed)
Setting (location, season, weather, day/night)
– Platform 9 ¾ = symbolic of wonders being right in front of people that they ignore
– Both McGonagall and Snape reference the nice weather the day the trio goes to find the Stone = symbolizes the warm unawareness of everyone else
Items (tools, food, decorations)
– Harry’s wand has a phoenix feather = symbolizes rebirth into a new life
– Brooms/Quidditch/Harry being good at flying = symbolizes his desire for freedom
Plot (subplots connect to main plots, or events connect to our world)
– Harry defeating Voldemort with mother’s love = symbolic of him realizing his parents are still with him
– The Sorcerer’s Stone = symbol of the apple in the Garden of Eden, temptation, Voldemort as the snake, Dumbledore as God
lol bUt thE auTHor SaiD thYE diDn”t iNTEnd thaT
- Even if it’s not intentional, the symbolism is still there, and it’s still significant
- Much symbolism can be subconscious, a reflection of our cultural values
– Is the Sorcerer’s Stone intended as a symbol for the Garden of Eden? Probably not, but it’s still there, and it’s a reflection of the culture in which it was written - Same thing goes for the interpretation of symbolism, the way WE interpret it reflects ourselves
– Dursleys being fat (gluttons/ignorance) vs. Mrs. Weasley being fat (warmth/plentiful)
– Same symbol, two different interpretations - Noting the symbolism and talking about them is a good way to understand them better and to make better use of them in our own works
– For example, for many years a common symbol for villains was queerness/effeminateness (Scar, Ursula, Ratigan, James from Pokemon…) and that’s only now starting to change
Symbolism is EVERYWHERE in stories
- It doesn’t just make the story deeper/more fun, but makes it feel more cohesive
- Without symbolism, a story would feel random and disjointed
- Don’t put random books/posters in your character’s room, put some meaning into them (philosophy books/punk posters); don’t have your story take place in a random season, put meaning into it (spring for rebirth, autumn for death/tragedy)
- So when you’re putting details into your story, make them come alive with symbolism!
Be sure to check out the video to see the story that we created together with chat, and all the juicy symbolism examples we came up with for it!
After that we wrote a story based on this picture that chat voted for:
Here’s what we came up with:
I’m not afraid of the creature that lives outside. Every night when it starts to get dark, it comes to the porch to watch me. Just like how I watch TV every night at the same time, I think it does the same for me.
I’m not afraid of the creature that lives outside. Even though it doesn’t move. Even though the light of the lamp doesn’t shine on it. Even though Mom doesn’t believe me when I tell her about it, she just snaps her fingers and tells me to finish dinner and looks up at the ticking clock.
I’m not afraid of the creature that lives outside. I try reaching through the glass for a touch, but the cold window stops my fingers. Mom’s crying stops upstairs. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway stops my heart, and sends the creature scuttling away, just like it does every night.
I’m not afraid of the creature that lives outside. I press my face against the window, hoping for one last glance, as keys jingle outside the door. As groans and grumbles turn to yells as He steps inside. As a large hand grips my shoulder painfully.
I’m not afraid of the creature that lives outside. I’m afraid of the one that lives inside.
If you want to join us and help write a story by trolling in chat, or share your own writing for feedback, then we’d love to have you join us on Twitch.
And you missed the stream, you can still watch them on the YouTube channel or watch the full stream reruns.
Hope to see you next time, friend!
