Allegory

English II

Academic

Allegory

• Allegory:– A specific type of symbolism….– A genre of writing in which the objects,

persons, and actions in a narrative have a symbolic meaning beyond the facts of the narrative (www.apexvs.com)

• What does this mean?– The story as a whole has a meaning beyond the literal

interpretation.

Allegory

• To understand Allegory, you must first understand the difference between a literal interpretation and a figurative interpretation.– Literal interpretation: looking only at the words

and plot…not looking at the symbolic nature of anything.

– Figurative interpretation: looking at how the characters, plot, setting etc can be taken in a different context (metaphorically).

Allegory

• Here’s an example:– Lord of the Flies

• Read literally:– These boys are stuck

on an island

– Ralph is the leader

– Jack is always fighting Ralph for power

– Simon is kind of strange…

Lord of the Flies

• Can also be read as an allegory:– Religious Allegory– Political Allegory– Moral Allegory– Social Allegory

Religious Allegory

Simon: Christ Figure

Ralph:

Everyman

Jack:

Evil

Supports:

Ralph struggles to find his place between Simon (who is always good) and Jack (who is usually evil).

Simon is tempted in the forest by the Lord of the Flies (Beelzebub) just as Jesus was tempted by the devil

Simon is killed by the tribe as he returns with the truth about the “beast” just as Jesus is crucified for spreading the “truth”.

Political Allegory

RALPH: FDRPIGGY: CHURCHILL

JACK: HITLER

Think about it in respect to WWII…

Jack commands his choir (and eventually his tribe) as a dictator

Jack constantly attacks Piggy, and Ralph constantly stands up for Piggy

Ralph attempts to be a peacemaker, but he fails.

Moral Allegory

JACK = EMOTIONS

RALPH = COMMON SENSE

PIGGY = INTELLECT

SIMON = SOUL

Moral Allegory

Ralph (common sense) attempts to balance Piggy (intellect), Jack (emotions), and Simon (soul) and fails, plunging into a world of chaos.

How does this explanation fit with the actual plot of the story?

Social Allegory

Social Allegory

Social Allegory: Ralph (government) tries to balance Jack (power), Piggy (technology), and Simon (soul) and fails as power warps technology, destroys humanism, and attempts to abolish government.

How does this fit with the plot of the story?

Allegory

• Other examples of allegories include:– The Lion, the Witch,

and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

– Animal Farm by George Orwell

– “Young Goodman Brown” by Hawthorne