A Word On Symbols

Have you ever witnessed it done right? It truly is a privilege to read a book or watch a movie woven with intentional and subtle symbols. Immediately I think of the praying mantis in The Hour I First Believed and I breathe a sigh of contentment as I remember how expertly Leif Enger laced symbols throughout Peace Like a River.

A quick lesson:

Another term used for incorporating symbols into your work is leitmotif. Beautiful word, isn’t it? It was originally used to define musical themes (maybe that’s why I enjoy it so much. Tie music into writing and I’m sold). Leitmotif stands for symbols that define characters and defines the situation he/she is in, or defines both. Essentially it’s when you try to introduce a recurring theme.

Let’s say you want rain to symbolize something in your WIP. It’s important that each time you introduce rain, you ratchet up the intensity. This doesn’t mean that it’s droplets in the beginning of the novel and a thunderstorm at the end. What works is when the character (better yet, the reader) is more involved and cognizant of the rain toward the end. The impact or awareness of the symbol should be greater as the novel moves along. This is difficult to do well. That’s why I treasure when a movie or novel delicately and intelligently deals with the use of symbols. I adore symbols.

In a Writer’s Digest article Karen S. Wiesner wrote, “Whether you make symbols subtle or well defined, they take on layers of meaning each time they’re mentioned, and they become an integral part of the story. As a general rule, every character should have only one associated symbol, but if you have a total of two in the book, one of them should be subtle, while the other should be well defined. The point is to enhance or contrast, not take over the story so the symbol becomes the focal point when you have no desire for it to be.”

Are you currently writing a character with a particular symbol, a mannerism, trait, hobby, scar, or working one into your novel as something tangible like a token, mirror, blade of grass or ladybug?

Also, I’d love to know if you recall a book or movie that blew you away with the eloquent use of symbolism.

“If there is any one thing I love about writing more than the rest, it’s that sudden flash of insight when you see how everything connects.” Stephen King

*photos by flickr (for those of you who are new to my blog, the intentional play on words was just for fun…I’m aware of the spelling difference for symbol. You don’t need to worry about me)