An Analysis of Symbolism

王禹涵

【Abstract】Symbolism is one of the rhetorical devices. With the analysis of the use of Symbolism in Harry Potter， this paper expresses what is Symbolism， how to use it， and the advantages of using it.

【Key words】symbols； Symbolism； Harry Potter

Symbolism， a means of artistic expression commonly seen in literature， expresses some abstract concepts， thoughts， emotions by means of some specific figures in accordance with connections between different things， originated in France， and was part of a 19th century movement in which art became infused with mysticism. Symbolists believed that art should apprehend more absolute truths which could only be accessed indirectly. Writers employ in order to generate not only interest in one's work but also to create another level of meaning. When symbolism is employed， the referential meaning and symbolic meaning are seemingly irrelevant to each other. Some authors employ symbolism on the basis of some certain traditional customs. For example， red represents happiness； white symbols condolence. Nevertheless， symbolism sometimes refers to other meaning instead of its original symbolic meaning. Red represents not only happiness but also passion and justice； white symbols not only condolence but also purity. （Zhang， Huang and Yang）

In Harry Potter， Rowling （the author of the novel） used Symbolism artfully.

Harry Potter is the key role of the novel. Since his parents died when he was small and grew up with the abuse by his relatives， he became a bashful boy who was lack of confidence. Later on， he went to Hogwarts and turned a wizard. There， he had his life refresh. His development signifies the growth of each person. He learnt by himself how to stand loneliness and how to be strong enough to face the sorrows. Thats to say， everyone should be optimistic to all the bad things happened. After he went to Hogwarts， he then knew who he really is and everyone flattered him. While Harry just did what he always did in the old days. This is to tell people， no matter who you are， you should be modest all the time. Harry is also known as a brave boy. Although he knew Voldemort was a strong demon， he never felt afraid of Voldemort， and finally vanquished Voldemort. He is the symbol of modesty， uprightness， braveness and firmness.

Hermione Jane Granger was one of Harrys best friends in Hogwarts. She was a talented muggle （“muggle” is a variable word from the English slang “mug” and means the person who was not born in a wizard family）. She was a big fan of knowledge and could always get the highest scores in Hogwarts. Rowling said that Hermiones name was taken from the variant of the name of a god in the Greek Myths， Hermes. In The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome， Hermes is always said to be the goddess of wisdom and magic. （Berens） Maybe this is why Hermione was such an excellent girl. With her high IQ and diligence， she became one of the best wizards in the magic world. She represents wisdom and diligence.

By using this method， Rowling makes the books became fairly successful. While using Symbolism has two main advantages：

1. Accepted Easily. By using this method， some certain kinds of spirits could be turned into a specific image which could easily be perceived by the readers. This would help to impress the readers. As in Harry Potter， Rowling wants to represent that everyone should insist on his own belief and fight with the evils， then she created Harry， a brave and smart boy who always insisted on his faith. And on the other hand， she also created Voldemort， a total evil. Maybe Voldemort was stronger than Harry at the beginning， but at last he was vanquished by Harry. This shows that evil will never defeat the justice. By using symbolism， such kind of abstract feelings or spirits could become easier to be understood.

2. Implicit Beauty. Symbolism and implicitness are inseparable. When a writer gives people some enlightenment， the writer prefers to let the readers know the meaning of the image than letting them know the symbol itself. For instance， when the writer is describing a pigeon， what he wants to represent is not only the pigeon. Actually， what he wants to reveal is peace. （Zhou） In Harry Potter， Rowling wanted to give some information to the readers， but she never wrote them down directly. She gave those information to the readers by symbolism. For example， she wanted the readers to know that Dumbledore was an Irish， then she gave him the Irish name， Albus. With this method， the works filled with mysteries and implicit beauties.

Symbolism is one of the widely used methods in writing. And using Symbolism is a good way to enrich not only the characters but also the whole story and it is an essential method in writing.

References：

[1]Berens，E.M.The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome.Beijing：World Publishing Corp.，2009.

[2]周春林.谈谈象征及其美学功能[J].修辞学习，2000（3）.

[3]张秉真，黄晋凯，杨恒达.象征主义·意象派[M].北京：中国人民大学出版社，1998.