What is allegory?

Defining allegory

An allegory is a complete work of art in which the characters, images, or plot points act as symbols to illustrate a larger message. In ancient Greek, the word allegory means “to speak so as to imply something other.”

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Well, what makes an allegory different than a symbol or a metaphor then? Let’s break it down. A symbol is a component of a metaphor or allegory—such as a character with a subtext meaning to represent an idea. A metaphor is a symbolic description to make a point within a larger body of work—such as a plot point mirroring a societal flaw. An allegory is the big kahuna: when not just a portion of the work symbolizes an idea, but the entire body of work itself embodies the message.

Examples of allegory

Let’s look at some famous literary allegory examples to better understand why artists use this technique in their work and how you can use it in yours too.

Allegory of the Cave

You’ve probably at least heard of the Allegory of the Cave, even if you don’t know it in full. The Greek philosopher, Plato, created this allegory to demonstrate how difficult it is to change one’s thinking when they view the world from a pre-established viewpoint.

Plato depicts people living chained in a cave facing a blank wall, only seeing objects’ shadows cast in front of a fire. To these prisoners, shadows are their only reality, when in truth the shadows are not the real objects themselves. Plato then wonders what would happen if the prisoners became free from the chains. Most prisoners would turn away from the sun and real objects as they are too painful and unfamiliar to behold, and instead return the comfortable shadows they know. He suggests one of the men is a philosopher who slowly adjusts to the outside world and once his eyes acclimate to the sunlight, he views the outside world as more real and superior to the cave. When he returns to the cave, he’s blind in the dark as his eyes have become used to the light. When telling his peers about the outside world, instead of embracing the knowledge, they accuse the outside world as the source of his blindness and that they should not leave the cave and be blinded themselves. The prisoners would then kill anyone who tried to drag them out of their cave.

The prisoners in this story represent people with a closed viewpoint, and the freed prisoner represents an enlightened person who accepts another perspective. Every character and plot point serves the allegory’s purpose of demonstrating Plato’s opinions on open-mindedness versus closed mindedness—be it in philosophy, religion, or politics. Had Plato simply said, “It’s difficult for people to change their mind from their pre-established viewpoint even when wrong” the message would not remain as memorable, nor carry as much emotional weight as it does when embed in allegory. Today, the Allegory of the Cave stands as one of the oldest and most famous allegories in history.

The Tortoise and the Hare

You find allegory often in children’s literature because it’s a great way to teach life lessons. Everyone knows Aesop’s fable where a tortoise and hare race each other.

While the hare runs much faster, it decides to take a break after sprinting and takes a nap before crossing the finish line. Meanwhile, the tortoise chugs along slowly and steadily, eventually passing the hare and crossing the finish line first.

Children delight in the funny depiction of a slow turtle beating a quick hare in a race, while also learning from subtextual allegory that taking your time and doing a good job will yield better results than speeding through something and not giving it your all. Wrapping this life lesson in allegory helps the child remember the moral more easily.

Animal Farm

Not only is Animal Farm a literary classic you probably read in school, it’s also a solid example of political allegory.

In the novella, overworked animals on a farm revolt against the tyrannical farmer to create a utopian society. Orwell uses the narrative to provide commentary on the evolution of dictatorships and socialism.

When you realize Orwell wrote the book during World War II, a time when Britain allied with the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany, the reasons for writing in allegory become clear. The 1940s weren’t the most ideal time in history for a British man to criticize Stalin, but cushioned within allegory, Orwell found freedom to speak his mind.

Why use allegory?

Why hide messages in your stories at all; why not just come right out and say the message rather than embedding it in subtext? You may choose allegory for a bucketload of reasons:

• Transform complex ideas into a more digestible concept
• Share controversial subjects indirectly
• Wrap unappealing themes in a more entertaining package
• Convey emotions, moods, and opinions more effectively
• Simply make your work more memorable

Finally, allegories are just fun. Artists delight in sharing their perspectives through hidden messages and audiences enjoy complex stories with layers of meaning.

If you’re about to embark on your own allegory writing project, but don’t know where to start, get some tips on brainstorming book ideas. And don’t forget to check your work as you write. Use Microsoft Editor and Grammar Checker to go over your work.