Allegory is a literary device and is based on the hidden meaning of words. In this way, a narrative with an apparent message hides a different parallel message. Allegorical stories usually tell simple stories about individuals and animals, but deep down it is a reflection on abstract ideas.
Universal allegorical symbols
The figure of the dove communicates a concrete idea, peace. Similarly, the fox symbolizes cunning, the lion strength, the raven doom, and the serpent represents the concept of evil.
Apart from the use of animals as symbols, the allegory also resorts to personification. In this way, a character is presented as the symbol of an abstract idea. Thus, the female figure with a blindfold and a scale in her hand is the representation of justice, a warrior can represent the idea of bravery and a skeleton wielding a scythe is the best known image of death.
In literary creation
In the history of literature, Greek fables represent one of the first allegorical stories. In these stories there is a double reading, the real and the symbolic or metaphorical. Thus, animal stories are presented as an analogy with human reality. The famous fable of the grasshopper and the ant originally attributed to Aesop conveys a clear moralizing message: work and perseverance have their reward, while lazy behavior is a very pernicious temptation.
In Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" the author tells in the first person that he is lost in a dark jungle. Throughout the narrative, three ferocious beasts appear that make it difficult for him to walk, and in order to help Dante, the poet Virgilio appears and offers to be his guide.
They both go through hell and purgatory before reaching paradise. The development of the entire work is presented as an allegory in which there is actually a reflection on human sins and temptations.
Distinction between parable and allegory
Both are literary resources that aim to convey some kind of teaching. Despite an evident similarity between one and the other, they are different narrative approaches. The parable is a story inspired by everyday events with the purpose of communicating a moral message. The allegory has a more complex metaphorical dimension and different symbolic elements usually appear in it, giving rise to all kinds of interpretations.
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