Symbolism A review

What is a symbol? A symbol is an object that represents, stands for, or suggests an idea, visual image, belief, action, or material entity. Symbols take the form of words, sounds, gestures, or visual images and are used to convey ideas and beliefs. For example, a red octagon symbolizes stop even without the word.

From the handout Symbolism is the practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an abstract idea. Symbolism is found in colors: -Black is used to represent death or evil. -White stands for life and purity. -Red can symbolize blood, passion, danger, or immoral character. -Purple is a royal color. -Yellow stands for violence or decay. -Blue represents peacefulness and calm. 

More common examples Dove is a symbol of peace. Red rose or red color stands for love or romance. Black color is a symbol that represents evil or death. A ladder may stand as a symbol for a connection between the heaven and the earth. A broken mirror may symbolize separation.

Example from Huckleberry Finn The Mississippi River The river is Huck’s and Jim’s only path to freedom. For Huck, it represents a life beyond the rules of society, and for Jim, it is an escape from slavery.

Example from Huckleberry Finn The Raft The raft could possibly represent equality. It serves as a “no man’s land.” On the raft, floating down the Mississippi River is the only place this black man and white boy could speak as equals.

Example from Huckleberry Finn Huck Himself Huck could be considered a symbol himself. He represents America. In the 19th century, this idea of the rugged individual who was independent and self-sufficient was an attractive one. Huck as smart, yet uneducated, and a little wild, yet fundamentally honest and moral is a good parallel to people’s view of America at the time. America as the untamed frontier and Huck as the uncivilized boy running away.

Example from The Great Gatsby The Valley of Ashes The valley of ashes symbolizes the failed American Dream. It also represents the moral and social decay resulting from the pursuit of wealth as well as the struggles of the poor. The valley of ashes is tucked away in between two places symbolizing wealth an vitality: East/West Egg and NYC. Despite the necessity of traveling through the valley of ashes to get between the two, the people in the valley of ashes and their poverty goes unnoticed by the rich who are self-consumed.

Example from The Great Gatsby Green Light The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock could symbolize many things, most strongly Gatsby’s dream of getting Daisy back. The green light shines as a beacon of hope. One could also argue that the light represents a hazy future, as it is seen through fog across the water, and also that the light is green to show that Daisy is something Daisy covets. He is jealous of the man she is with.

Example from The Great Gatsby The Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg This billboard overlooking the valley of ashes represents God seeing everything. You can take this symbolism a step further and assert that God has been replaced by capitalism, as represented by manifesting God in an advertisement.

Example from The Great Gatsby Colors Yellow/Gold: Money Green: Life, vitality, the future, exploration Grey/lack of color: Lifelessness