Symbolic images are used in art, including novels, poems, and films, to represent more than their literal meaning. Imagery appeals to the senses and is used to create dynamic scenes. Symbolism and imagery can be used independently, but when combined, they create evocative and interesting descriptions. An example of symbolic imagery is using an ice cube to represent frozen emotions. Symbolic images can be found in various aspects of a sentence, such as the lack of feeling and the visual image of a dead television screen.
Symbolic images refer to images within a work of art, often including novels, poems, films, and other works, that are symbolic in nature. Imagery is the use of language or other aspects of storytelling that appeal to the senses of a reader or audience, usually through descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings. This type of imagery is often used in fiction and poetry to create a more dynamic scene for the reader, often showing them what is happening rather than telling them what is going on. Symbolic images, however, are images that serve a symbolic purpose, rather than a strictly literal one.
Using symbolic imagery isn’t necessarily difficult or complicated, although it can be a vital aspect of creative writing or storytelling. Symbolism and imagery can be used independently of each other and are neither mutually inclusive nor mutually exclusive. A storyteller may use symbolism to make something within a story represent more than it seems literally or directly, while images refer to descriptions that appeal to a reader’s senses. When symbolic images are used, however, descriptions are created that appeal to a reader’s sense and represent more than they may seem.
An example of symbolic imagery could be the description of cold or an ice cube, to represent the “frozen” emotions of a character in a story. This is typically done to “show” the action and meaning rather than “tell” the readers or audience what they should see. For example, a writer might show someone feeling numb due to the death of a loved one as, “She walked into the room and sat on the sofa, his senses were dull and she felt numb after the funeral.” While this effectively makes a point and tells the reader how the character is feeling, it’s also a bit boring.
By using symbolic imagery, this same idea can be conveyed in a more evocative and interesting way. Instead, a writer might write: “He shuffled into the room and slumped on the couch, not feeling the keys in his pocket dig into his leg; traffic noises came through the open front door and he stared blankly at the dead television screen.’ This line still conveys the same idea of the character feeling numb or emotionless, but does so through the use of imagery.
The symbolic images within the sentence can be found in several places. Lack of feeling or numbness is displayed as the character ignores the sensation of the keys digging into his leg. The visual images are created through the “television off”, which represents an object without meaning or purpose, just as the character feels. The unclosed front door indicates not only the character’s distraction, but also the character’s vulnerable nature and the opportunities behind him that have been forgotten.
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