How to Analyze Allegory in Literature
- 1). Read the literature and take notes. Pay attention to whether or not there are allegorical aspects of the story. Are there deeper meanings that can be extracted from the literal tale?
- 2). Analyze the plot. What is the story about? Write down a summary of the plot and determine whether the story can stand on its own and whether it might have a deeper underlying meaning. For instance, in a science fiction story, the plot of an alien race fighting for its survival on a dying planet might have implications that go beyond the literal story.
- 3). Analyze the characters. Who are they and what do they do throughout the course of the story? Are they archetypes? For instance, Luke Skywalker in Star Wars was the archetypal innocent who goes on a journey to fulfill a quest. Focus on how the characters acts within the story and push the plot forward.
- 4). Analyze the imagery. A consistent use of imagery will offer some ways to analyze the allegorical aspects of the story. For instance, in George Orwell's Animal Farm, the consistent use of the barn wall on which is written the rules that oppress the farm animals offers some ideas of Orwell's allegorical intent.
- 5). Analyze signifiers in the piece of literature. Signifiers are images or signs that are associated with familiar ideas or concepts. For instance, a picket fence might be a signifier for certain ideas about middle-class values, home and hearth. Determine how certain signifiers within the piece of literature are used and the underlying allegorical meanings they bring.
- 6). Analyze the literature's theme, then determine its allegorical meaning. For instance, in the story of an alien race on a dying planet, the theme can be about environmentalism. Extrapolate there, using the literature's plot, characters, imagery and signifiers to determine the allegory. In this case, the story can be an allegory about the human race's neglect of its own planet. Show how the allegory enhances the literature's theme.
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