Allegory - Meaning, Definition and Examples

An allegory can be a poem, a story or a picture that conveys an underlying message. If you are wondering how to write an allegorical poem or story, explore the article to learn the dos and don’ts of writing an allegory.

Table of Contents

• What Is an Allegory? – Meaning and Definition
• How to Write an Allegorical Piece? – Tips and Techniques
• Forms of Allegory
• Types of Allegory
• Examples of Allegory
• Write an Allegorical Poem/Story
• Frequently Asked Questions on Allegory

What Is an Allegory? – Meaning and Definition

The term ‘allegory’ refers to the form of writing that has a moral to be inferred. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines ‘allegory’ as “a story, play, picture, etc. in which each character or event is a symbol representing an idea or a quality, such as truth, evil, death, etc.; the use of such symbols”. According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, ‘allegory’ is “a story or visual image with a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind its literal or visible meaning”.

How to Write an Allegorical Piece? – Tips and Techniques

Writing an allegory requires a creative intellect. Howard Gardner speaks about eight multiple intelligences in his book, ‘Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences’. Among them, linguistic-verbal intelligence, interpersonal intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence are the ones most required to be able to write a creative piece.

As kids, you would have all read, watched and/or listened to stories such as ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’, ‘The Greedy Dog’, ‘The Happy Prince’, ‘The Selfish Giant’, ‘The Crocodile and the Monkey’ and so on. All these stories are wonderful examples of allegory. Try reading these stories again, this time from a literary perspective. You will see that the language used is simple and does not contain many superfluous words or philosophical thoughts. The stories put forward strong messages and morals. For this same reason, these stories are still taught to children.

Now, let us look into the characteristics of an allegory.

• Allegory is similar to metaphor, allusion, anecdote, etc., in a way that all of them tell something but mean something more or different.
• Imagery is one of the techniques used when writing an allegorical text in order to provide vivid descriptions.
• Symbolism is another technique. This is the use of particular objects/aspects that symbolises something other than just its obvious appearance.

Forms of Allegory

Allegory can be expressed in two ways.

• Literary allegory – uses language as a tool to portray situations and present abstract ideas by employing human and non-human characters.
• Symbolic allegory – uses symbols to represent ideas and messages that are not recognisable on the surface but requires interpretation.

Types of Allegory

Can allegory be categorised into types? The answer to this question is yes. Allegory can be classified into two main types based on some of its characteristics. They are,

• Fables – use animals and non-human objects as the main characters to tell the story and present abstract ideas. An example of fables is ‘Aesop’s Fables’, a collection of more than six hundred fables such as ‘The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse’, ‘The Fox and the Grapes’, ‘The Ant and the Dove’, ‘The Stag, the Sheep and the Wolf’, etc.
• Parables – use human characters to tell the story and present day-to-day situations. An example of parables are parables from the Bible, such as ‘The Parable of the Lost Sheep’, ‘The Parable of the Mustard Seed’, ‘The Parable of the Good Samaritan, ‘The Parable of the Fig Tree’, etc.

Examples of Allegory

Allegory in Literature

Many poems, short stories, novels and plays use allegory. Famous among them are,

• ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell
• ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien
• ‘Life of Pi’ by Yann Martel
• ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ by C. S. Lewis
• ‘The Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• ‘The Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka
• ‘The Faerie Queene’ by Edmund Spenser
• ‘Piers Plowman’ by William Langland
• ‘Roman de la Rose’ by Guillaume de Lorris
• ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Allegory in Movies

Allegory is a frequently used technique of storytelling in movies. Some movies which have made good use of allegory are stated below. Go through the list, try watching them and analyse their allegorical aspects.

• Avatar
• Wall-E
• Zootopia
• Inside Out
• Spirited Away
• The Wizard of Oz
• Arrival
• Groundhog Day
• Bruce Almighty
• Soul

Write an Allegorical Poem/Story

Having learnt all about allegory, don’t you feel like trying your hand at writing one on your own? Here are some titles on which you can write an allegorical story or poem. Explore your creative side. You can decide the characters, the setting and the plot. Just make sure the title matches your story.

• The Little One
• The Bee and the Butterfly
• Waves at Dawn
• The Sad Cloud
• The Tree at the End of the Road