Going Beyond the Literal Symbolism in “The Secret Lion”

We read literature on two levels: The first level is the literal level. It is important to understand what happened on a literal level before trying to analyze a story more deeply. Questions we might ask while reading on a literal level are: Who are the characters in the story? What are their relationships to each other? What happened in the story? What are the events that took place? In other words, what are the “facts” of the story?

We read literature on two levels: The second level is a symbolic or figurative one. This requires us to look at the literal events that took place, and construct some meaning that goes beyond “this is what happened.” What themes or ideas might various characters, events, and objects symbolize? What meaning can we draw from the story that goes beyond a literal interpretation? (For instance, in “Snow,” which some of you read for last week, a little girl sees snow for the first time and is afraid because she thinks it’s ash from an atomic explosion. So what? Why do those events matter?)

Recognizing Symbols From your text book: “A symbol is a person, object, action, place or event that, in addition to its literal meaning, suggests a more complex meaning or range of meanings” (292). Things that are symbolic are usually given a great deal of importance in the work (this might be description, significance to a character, etc.) They are also usually mentioned in or involved with important plot points in the narrative.

Questions for “The Secret Lion” On a literal level, what happened? What happened on a figurative level? What do the literal events mean? What ideas about the human experience is the author exploring? What are some of the symbols in this work? How do they contribute to the story’s theme? (Discuss with a partner. What are some important objects in this story? How do they have suggest a more complex meaning than their literal meaning?) What is the antagonist of this story? (An antagonist is a force or person that opposes the main character.)

Setting and “The Secret Lion” The settings (the locations where the story takes place) are very prominent in “The Secret Lion.” What are the settings that you feel are most interesting or important to the story? What do each of those settings tell us about the characters in the story?

In Class Writing #2 What are some of the objects in your "Alphabet of Life"? Describe one or two of them, and discuss how they have had meaning in your life. What did they symbolize for you? If you can, discuss how your objects are different from or similar to those in "The Secret Lion."