Essay: Symbolism in literature

In chapter three of How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, the author elaborates on the concept of vampirism in literature. Vampires are often associated with horror, as well as its blood-sucking, immortal, and nocturnal characteristics. Although in literature, these concepts are often a figurative symbol of many other thematic elements. As mentioned in the chapter, these themes may include “selfishness, exploitation, a refusal to respect the autonomy of other people” (Foster 16). Therefore, a vampire reference does not necessarily mean it is to be viewed as the physical monster it appears as externally. Contrastingly, a character or symbol that does not physically resemble a vampire may actually be meant to perceived as a vampiristic symbol or character. It all depends on the given scenario as well as the perspective of both the author and the reader.
Regarding The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson implements the vampiristic symbolism through Mr. Edward Hyde. Mr. Hyde is Dr. Jekyll’s alter-ego, a malicious, malevolent man who was brought to life for the sole purpose of Dr. Jekyll to be able to indulge in his evil desires without guilt or bismerch of his reputation. Foster states, “The hideous Edward Hyde exists to demonstrate to readers that even a respectable man has a dark side” (Foster 17). Like a vampire, Jekyll was unable to control his evil desires and Hyde was his way to partake in his vicious actions. Hyde’s transgressions can be compared to a vampire’s bloodlust. Although, a vampire’s bloodlust can be perceived as many other aspects underneath a story’s literal meaning.
For example, J.K. Rowling uses vampirism in the Harry Potter series, most notably through “dementors”. A dementor’s physical appearance can be best compared to a ghost wearing a dark, ragged cloak. In the novels, they are able to suck the happiness out of a human and leave them with nothing but emotions of depression. Their uncontrollable desire to feed off of happiness can be compared to a vampire’s desire for blood, or whatever figurative meaning blood may have depending on the specific story’s context. Overall, the symbolism of vampires refers to anything involving a character “draining” the life out of another character or situation.
In chapter seven, Foster goes into detail about the significance of fairy tales and its influence on writing and reading literature. Everybody’s knowledge when it comes to having literature as a reference varies by each person. Foster explains the literary canon’s role, although, he states, “the problems with the diversification of the canon is that morden writers can’t assume a common body of knowledge on the part of their readers” (Foster 54). Due to the unreliability of the canon as a source for literary references, fairy tales can be a better choice when making recognizable allusions to other pieces of literature. Foster adds, “While we may not know quite what to think about Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia or the fate of Laertes, we’re pretty darned sure what we think about the evil stepmother or Rumpelstiltskin” (Foster 54). With traditional works that are likely to be a canonical source, there are many readers who have not read or not even aware that those books exist. On the other hand, fairy tales are very well-known. Even if one has not heard the specific fairy tale’s original story, there is a more than likely chance that they have came across a piece of literature that has had a similar story to the original.
A work of literature that reflects a fairytale is the movie Coraline, as the story resembles Alice in Wonderland. In Coraline, the main character Coraline Jones discovers a hidden door in her home which leads to an alternate universe, where everything closely resembles her actual life but in a better way. She soon discovers that her “other mother”—her mother in the alternate universe that looks like a rag doll version of her actual mother—is evil and does everything in her will to force Coraline to stay in the “other world” forever. Coraline eventually escapes from the doorway and returns to her normal, boring life. Similarly, Alice in Wonderland tells the tale of a bored young girl—Alice—who discovers a rabbit hole and falls down it, leading her to “Wonderland”. As she is enjoying the oddly fascinating peculiarities Wonderland has to offer, she runs into the Queen of Hearts—an ill-tempered queen who will do anything in her will to force Alice to stay in Wonderland—including executing her. Alice eventually awakes from what was all just a dream and returns to her dull life. The story of Coraline resembles the same concept in Alice in Wonderland—a bored young girl discovers an entrance to an alternate universe, meets the antagonist who tries to force her to stay, and eventually escapes. I personally believe the similarities between the two works deepens the appreciation I have for them because I am able to experience the same theme the stories portray in a different life and perspective.
In chapter 9, Foster discusses the relevance of weather to a piece of literature. There are various reasons as to why weather may be included in a story and hold significance in the text, most importantly it can be symbolic. He references “The Three Strangers” by Edward B.-L. to emphasize weather, more specifically rain’s, importance regarding plot devices, atmospherics, and a democratic element. Rain is used as a plot device in the story to force the characters together in a very uncomfortable circumstance (Foster 71), although he mentions that plot is usually disregarded when analyzing weather as a symbol. Regarding atmospherics, Foster states, “Rain can be more mysterious, murkier, more isolating than most other weather conditions” (Foster 71). Atmospherics also relates to another point Foster mentioned earlier in the chapter regarding the repetition of the phrase “It was a dark and stormy night” and its significance in setting a story’s mood. Lastly, he explains the democratic element, stating “Rain falls on the just and unjust alike” (Foster 71), meaning that rain can bring two characters—no matter if they are similar or not—together.
A movie scene that portrays the symbolic importance of weather is a scene from the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid. In the scene, the protagonist Greg is walking a group of children home from school on a rainy day as part of his “Safety Patrol” duties. As he is doing so, a truck comes from around the street corner which Greg frantically assumes it is the truck of a group of boys who are out to get revenge on him. Terrified that the boys will recognize him, he pushes all of the children into a large pit in the grass. A neighbor sees Greg pushing the kids but mistakes him for his best friend, Rowley. Consequently, Rowley is revoked from his safety patrol duties and eventually stops being friends with Greg when the truth of the situation is discovered . The rainy weather in this scene symbolizes the future complications that will take place in Greg and Rowley’s friendship. After the incident, Rowley loses his trust Greg and finds a new best friend.
In chapter nineteen, Foster emphasizes the importance of geography and setting when it comes to writing and reading literature, and that knowing and understanding setting is the key to a story’s significance. More specifically, he goes into detail about geography’s impact on plot development, atmospherics, character development (or psyche), and theme. An example of a literary work that has a significant setting is the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Regarding plot development, Harry would have not been able to live out his life as a wizard if he did not attend Hogwarts. The setting in which the story is taking place holds even more significance when you consider the contrasting element of the home he lived in with his Aunt and Uncle, who forbid anything revolving wizardry. In terms of atmosphere, the whimsical and magical energy that Hogwarts provides is what makes the story so fascinating and beloved by many readers. It creates another world for the reader to explore. Thematically, Harry is introduced to all of the situations that add to the the story’s many themes. This includes the importance of friendship, bravery, the triumph over evil, etc., all of which Harry would have never discovered if it weren’t for the life he created in Hogwarts. Regarding character development, when Harry lived with his Aunt and Uncle, he was a shy young boy who was scared to voice his opinions. Once he has attended Hogwarts, his confidence skyrockets and he finds courage and loyalty within himself.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, geography holds importance within the same four aspects mentioned in the previous paragraph. The plot stems from the story’s setting in Soho, London during the Victorian era. Because of the differences between the upper and lower social class, the opposing personality traits between Jekyll and Hyde were made very apparent—creating the story’s conflict of Jekyll’s dual personalities and trying to control them. The atmosphere also plays a major part in experiencing the story to its full extent—the dark, grimy alleys of London with vicious Mr. Hyde roaming around, targeting innocent people he wish to pursue his evil desires upon. Geography is also important regarding character development in the fact that Jekyll is living lavishly in a high quality home, as Stevenson describes, “which wore a great air of wealth and comfort” (Stevenson 10), while Hyde lives in a laboratory described as “a certain sinister block of building” and “bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence” (Stevenson 2). The theme of the story is the conflict between good and evil, more specifically the internal conflict of Jekyll not being able to control his evil desires. The Victorian era was very revolved around social status and had strict morals, which went hand in hand with Hyde’s differentiating personality from the rest of the people in London.
According to Foster, seasons play a big role in numerous aspects of literature, more specifically the mood of a plot, characters, theme, etc. Foster states, “This pattern is so deeply ingrained in our cultural experience that we don’t even have to stop and think about it” (Foster 186). He elaborates on the fact that readers often have different associations of tones and moods with the four seasons. He states, “Maybe it’s hard-wired into us that spring has to do with childhood and youth, summer with adulthood and romance and fulfilment and passion, autumn with decline and middle age and tiredness but also harvest, winter with old age and resentment and death” (Foster 186). When a story takes place in a specific season—or references a season—readers can automatically associate an emotion or tone to the season, solely just based off of their own experiences and knowledge.
A piece of literature that has seasonal symbolism is the movie Camp Rock. The movie takes place in the summer at a camp for aspiring musicians. It tells the story of a shy teenage girl named Mitchie who joins the camp to pursue music. Although, she becomes ashamed of herself and has to lie about her true identity when all the other campers come from privileged families who are able to easily pay for the camp—unlike Mitchie’s family who were only able to allow her to go at a discount. In the midst of her trying to make her life seem more prestigious than it is, romance begins to stir between Mitchie and celebrity Shane Gray. The movie taking place in summer is important because the start of the season symbolizes the fresh, new start of who Mitchie was about to become while discovering herself and her artistry at the camp. Summer is also associated with romance, which reflects the passionate emotions between Mitchie and Shane that take place while at the camp.
In chapter 25, Foster explains the importance of symbolism in literature and the natural instinct readers have to interpret symbols while reading. Foster elaborates on the symbolic implications readers analyze while reading literature by stating, “If enough writers use a given object or situation in enough works, we start to recognize and understand the range of possible meanings” (Foster 242). An example of a symbol in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the salt Dr. Jekyll uses while finalizing his potion. The salt he used in his original formula—later found out—contained an impurity which made it have the transforming effect. During his final hours, Jekyll was in desperate need of the potion in order to save himself from Hyde taking over permanently. He ordered more salt in order to complete the potion, but he soon finds out that the new salt did not contain the same impurity the original salt contained—therefore Hyde continued to take over. The irony is this situation is that the impurity of the original salt is what unleashes the dark, or more ironically the “impure” side of Jekyll—Mr. Hyde.
An example of a symbol in Brave New World are the zippers on the characters’ outfits. Throughout the whole story, it is established that the World State takes pride in eternal happiness and instant gratification. Aldous Huxley repeats the phrase “zip” very frequently throughout the story, which when analyzed, can symbolize and add onto the consistent theme of constant happiness. Everything in the world state is easily accessible and have a positive reinforcement to it. The zippers are just another example of quick satisfaction.