CLICK HERE to learn about symbols:
A symbol is a concrete/visible object, place or action that represents something abstract/invisible beyond its literal meaning.
Through symbols, the author gives physical presence to mental concepts, entities or events, thereby allowing us to 'see' the invisible.
EXAMPLES:
In "Bartholomew's song," the BEDROOM symbolizes the protagonist's MIND (i.e., small, empty, confined, artificial, generic).
In "Brother and Sister," the COLLAR symbolizes REASON as it attempts to restrain our instinctual urges.
In "Sleepwalk," the DEFECTIVE CAR RADIO symbolizes THE PROTAGONIST'S MIND STUCK IN THE PAST.
HOW TO FIND SYMBOLS:
"A" symbolizes "B"
if "A" and "B" are two very different things, "A" being a physical object or action, "B" being an intangible/mental concept or event.
if "A" and "B," although belonging to two very different dimensions, have a least one characteristic in common.
for instance, in "Bartholomew's Song," both the concrete BEDROOM and the protagonist's intangible MIND are (1) at first small and increase in size over the course of the film and are (2) at first bland, that is, devoid of personal/individual characteristics
if it is fairly clear that the author uses "A" as a symbol to represent "B."
Be careful. Do not see every single concrete object or action in a story as symbolic. Each story contains a limited number of key symbols. They will naturally emerge during your 2nd and 3rd readings.
IMPORTANT:
If "A" is a NOUN (like the "bedroom"), "B" is also a NOUN (like the "protagonist's mind").
If "A" is an ACTION in the -ING form (like "slicing and throwing out the defective cube"), "B" is also an ACTION in the -ING form (like "destroying and erasing defective thoughts that do not conform")
