Hi Daeus, thanks for agreeing to a written conversation like this.
For those who don’t know, Daeus, as a wordsmith, will be discussing how symbolism in story-telling works. I’ll be adding thoughts on how his points are relevant for visual storytelling. We hope to come to a place where we can all learn something and hopefully better glorify the Author who wrote us into being.
Introduction
The sun is brilliant and so are some men’s minds. Thorns are sharp and so are some men’s wit. Glares have daggers, tastes bite, and waves thunder. Pools are clear, good communication too. Isn’t it strange how our language is infused with comparison? And the amazing thing is it goes all the way back and all the way through. There is bread and there is wine, but before the beginning, they were destined as symbols fulfilled in the man who was true food and true drink. Symbolism thrums in the very marrow of creation, and, it seems, stories too.
I’m looking forward to this conversation and discovering the significance of symbolism in storytelling, language, and our own lives.
Webs and Yarn
Life is filled with patterns and design themes. How do authors use similes and metaphors to enrich and strengthen their communication? Why is figurative language so effective?
Yeah! I love the way you introduced this topic. I don’t want to overstate this, but to some degree symbolism is not just a literary technique, but a way of living. I’ll get downright theological for a moment and explain why I think symbolism can have such a far reaching as well as deep impact. Theologians talk about the “simplicity of God.” That doesn’t mean God is uncomplicated or dull. It’s a technical word that means no part of God is divisible from the whole of Him. To give an example: you cannot understand God’s love all by itself... His attribute of love is inextricably tied with all his other attributes: joy, eternality, hate, wisdom, might, etc, etc.
This leads me to believe that everything is very interconnected, like a giant web.
Symbolism works because it sends our minds down this giant web that surrounds us every moment of every day. And you can get caught in this web. It's fun! There are no spiders waiting to eat you. ;)
Any simile that makes sense will work, but I find that drawing connections from two very different arenas has a special effect. It makes the reader wake up, and really notice how interconnected things are. And it can also add another level of meaning that a simpler metaphor wouldn’t, like: his love for her was like a pencil’s for paper, like an I’s need to be dotted, and Ts everywhere to be crossed. Oh, he was star-crossed. Sounds like the opening to some rom com for accountants.
-i-
You are right about the inter-connectedness, Daeus. Sometimes the story we are living in feels like a detective’s clue board, with our Lord’s design thread pinning a set of startlingly varied pictures. Connections. That seems to be what we down here are constantly making. Life is a great, deep, complex puzzle that gets deeper the longer we inspect it, and making connections helps us understand bigger parts of it. When it is hard for us to understand faith, Jesus gives us a sower planting seeds; naming Simon Peter a fisher of men clarifies what his job will be. When artists (and God) use trees to depict kings (read Daniel), they make it easier for us to understand a leader’s roll: to connect heaven and earth, and to provide shelter. That is what good art and writing should be doing. Clarifying truth through parallels and pictures. Our paint and ink on paper are compressions of reality that reveal God’s design and his truth by being similes. Ultimately, we are translating the world we see into symbols within a composition (whether in text or paint) that communicates effectively what we see. We are trying to compress creation so that we can have more of it within our field of view.
Relevance and Rediscovering
Stories themselves seem to be a symbol of reality. How do authors tell truth through the book-shaped simile of a story? How do story elements add to the picture one is painting? How do stories help us see reality by being different yet alike?
When it comes to stories, symbolism really shows us what it can do. A metaphor is engaging, but the symbolism in a narrative can be life changing. As an author, I have two ways to incorporate symbolism into my narrative. First, I can borrow from the natural symbolism of the world. For instance, if I want my story to hit deeper, I can use archetypes based on plot points or character types that reflect key aspects of the story of this world. That is a type of symbolism and (when it comes to narrative) it is probably the most important one. And then there are natural symbols like lions, which by their nature are kingly and majestic. A lion will never, ever be a natural symbol of agriculture, or despair, or man’s insatiable desire to conquer the next frontier.
Finally, I can invent my own symbols. Once I have established what a symbol means, I can use it however I want and introduce new thought patterns to my reader. For instance, let’s assume I’ve written an epic fantasy novel where a second-born son is a major mythological figure. He was outshone by his older brother, but in the end to everyone’s surprise proved far more important to the world’s fate. Now suppose that up to this point elves have been the only inhabitants of the world, but now I introduce the race of men. They are called the second born. The reader will notice a motif developing and might expect this race of men to seem insignificant compared to the elves, but prove more significant in the end to the grand story I’m telling. Finally, let’s assume that these men lived in a great city, but through treachery and complacency, the city eventually fell. After the devastation, a prophet foretold of a coming second age of men, with hints of great suffering, but in the end a greater glory.
Because I’ve already established the narrative importance of things that come second, the reader will experience a far deeper weight embedded in this prophecy than otherwise. To them, the number two will no longer be a simple number.
-ii-
In a way, symbolism is rediscovery of the subject. G. K. Chesterton speaks about how fairytales often show more truth than fact does (Orthadoxy). When we create a golden apple, the novelty is really because it reminds us just how special the crunch and colour of a real apple is. By changing the picture, we get to better see what the original was like. By adding special relevance to the number two, we are remembering why two was special all along; by creating elves from nobility, Tolkin reminds us why nobility was beautiful in the first place. Maybe that is the single greatest feature of symbolic imagery: it reminds us of how unique and beautiful the gift of life is and the artfulness of the ‘mundane’.
Living Pictures
Symbolism uses one thing to reveal truths about another. And we, like living pictures, have opportunity to reveal aspects about our Maker through how we live. How can we be better parents, spouses, children, siblings, or friends in a way that positively depicts God’s glory? How should we be seeing the beauty of creation and God’s gifts (like honey and laughter and a day in the sun), knowing it points to the Richer and Truer Good?
Outside of fiction, we still have the opportunity to notice patterns. For instance, we see fractals all over nature. We’re beginning to learn some of the practical importance of this, and by studying it more I believe we will gain even greater insights. We can notice patterns in human behaviour too. Every time I think, “this is like that,” my understanding of both subjects expands. I believe in the simplicity of nature because I believe in the simplicity of God. This makes life a giant treasure hunt. We can go overboard with this. If I try to discover the deep symbolic nature of my toothbrush, I’m likely to make a fool of myself and come up with something arbitrary. But if I notice the pattern rather than coming up with it myself, it’s probably worth pondering. I think having a “treasure hunt” view of life makes us better people to be around.
-iii-
A treasure hunt, indeed. Beauty around us reflects the beauty of God (like a simile or a metaphor). The sweetness of honey helps us better understand the sweetness of God’s grace, our need for food and the satisfaction of bread makes us better understand our need for Christ and our satisfaction in him. Creation itself is a rich image of our God’s creativity, and by studying and searching and enjoying, we can better understand the richness of God, who is even richer. Creation is a rich bounty if we enjoy everything in Christ and Christ in everything. The joy and understanding we gain when we make the links and find the buried gold should always lead us to their source, who outshines everything by comparison, but in who everything becomes strangely brilliant.
Conclusion
I would like to end with a summary of our points.
Creation is a web of interlinked design (or detective red-yarn). Discovering the links is deeply satisfying (by design) and helps us understand our world and our Creator’s creativity (seeds = truth, trees = kings). In story, symbols add significance, and also re-reveal the beauty of their subjects by changing up the elements (Golden Apple -> how wonderful the taste & colour of a real apple). Life is a great treasure hunt (by design) that we should always trace back to its Creator; the Second Adam who did on the second tree what Adam couldn’t do at the first.