Symbolism—Day 6

Housekeeping first. I had technical difficulties yesterday, thus the lack of a post. Hopefully that’s settled.

Stuart made some great observations in his comments to the Day 5 post:

I think you really have to be careful exactly how you use symbols in a fantasy (and to a lesser extent sci-fi). If the fantasy world is connected to earth then use of biblical symbols can enhance the story without breaking the world from the reader’s pov. If the world stands alone biblical symbols may break the world and diminish the overall impact (otherwise it tends to fall into feeling far to allegorical or is too obscure to feel connected, in my opinion).

I’m also not so certain that books that generally get by without symbolism are shallower and lesser than books that do. I would argue they just go about their impact and depth in other ways.

And one last question that arises in my mind is that if we as authors are trying to communicate something to our readers, are we truly doing that if we use a “hidden language” to reach them?

As to the first point, I agree—the use of Biblical symbols and/or allusions that “don’t belong” because the fantasy world is other than this world, could yank readers out of the story. I find that to be the case for me in some stories where the symbols are unintentionally transparent.

I say “unintentionally” because, as Shannon pointed out in her comment, some writers purposefully paint parallels. The aim in those stories, I surmise, is similar to John Bunyan, on a smaller scale.

Regarding the impact of symbols, I think I have to disagree. Everything else being equal—well-developed characters, attention to theme, an interesting storyworld, and so on—adding symbols adds a layer of depth. This is not to say that books without the intentional use of symbolism can’t address big themes or say important things. They can.

And, of course, they may do some things better than books employing symbols. But those factors are determined by the individual authors. In a discussion like this, it seems, by necessity, we are speaking hypothetically, and the logical conclusion seems to me to be that layering in symbols adds more for a reader to think about. And if “thinking about” is one of the things an author hopes to engender, then symbolism should be a plus.

That brings me to Stuart’s final point. By employing Biblical symbols or allusions, is an author talking in a hidden language that will fail to reach the intended audience?

That’s a tough question. I’ll rely on my usual definitive answer—yes and no. 😉

I really do think reading can be equated to a treasure hunt, so part of the author’s job is to let the readers know there is treasure to be had. And if you’ve ever hidden Easter eggs, for example, you know that it’s important to put some in the easiest places so the youngest ones can find them while hiding others in more challenging places for the older ones. So with symbols.

Last add for today. The symbols in the Bible were used so ordinary people would more easily grasp spiritual truth. Not much has changed. That fewer of us live in an agrarian society perhaps clouds some of the symbolism, but in this communication era, though we may never have tilled a vine, what is involved isn’t foreign to us. In other words, I think the symbols used in the Bible translate pretty well to our culture and can still communicate those spiritual truths. As I see it, the author who chooses to use muted symbols should aim for clarity.

This must be achieved without spelling out what symbols stand for. So I suppose the next logical thing to discuss is technique in employing symbols.