Definition
An allegory involves using many interconnected symbols or figures in such a way that nearly every element of the narrative has a meaning beyond the literal level, i.e., everything in the narrative is a symbol that relates to other symbols within the story. The allegorical story, poem, or play can be read either literally or as a symbolic statement about a political, spiritual, or psychological truth.
Example – from Animal Farm
“Preeminent among the pigs were two young boars named Snowball and Napoleon, whom Mr. Jones was breeding up for sale. Napoleon was a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar, the only Berkshire on the farm, not much of a talker, but with a reputation for getting his own way. Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive, but was not considered to have the same depth of character. All the other male pigs on the farm were porkers. The best known among them was a small fat pig named Squealer, with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice. He was a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point, he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, which was somehow very persuasive. The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white” (Orwell 35-36).
Function
It is completely possible for a person to read George Orwell’s entire book as an anthropomorphic tale about a farm taken over by the animals on it. However, Orwell wrote the book as a scathing commentary on the Russian Revolution and its results. Manor Farm, originally owned and operated by Farmer Jones, represents Russia under Tsar Nicholas II. The animals on the farm revolt against Jones and take over the farm themselves, mirroring the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, which ushered in communism, known as animalism in the book. In the passage above, the reader is introduced to three important characters in the revolution. Snowball represents Lenin, who instigated the Bolshevik Revolution but was later pushed out by Stalin, played by Napoleon. Squealer is the propaganda minister in Animal Farm, and his noted ability in this passage to “turn black into white” proves to be extremely useful to the pigs (the communists) as they deftly change the rules throughout the book until they convince the animals on the farm that “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others” (133). Orwell’s thorough, detailed allegory serves to highlight the issues and problems that led to the communist takeover of Russia, pointing out both the sins of the leaders and the blindness of the people while, through the use of animals as characters, maintaining a readable, even enjoyable, narrative.
Another example
John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress is one of the best known literary allegories, although the allegorical names of characters and places openly reveal who or what they represent. It is the story of a man named Christian who journeys from his home, the City of Destruction, to the Celestial City. He encounters many people and places on his journey, some helpful and some not, as he seeks his goal. The journey is an allegory of a person’s spiritual journey, from his realization of his own sin (in the book, a large burden he carries as his travels) to his acceptance of Christ’s payment for his sin, followed by temptations he encounters in life until he reaches heaven. (Photo: William Blake: Christian Reading in His Book (Plate 2, 1824–27). “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” Wikipedia. 29 April 2016. Web. 15 June 2016.)
Non-original mnemonic
Original mnemonic
Other resources
Check out this complete listing of all the allegorical components in Animal Farm. It may also be helpful for our class discussions and your in-class essay test.
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