Allegory is a literary device that portrays complex ideas in a simplistic narrative form. Writers have used it to illustrate philosophical notions and historical events, from the import of Christianity to the Russian Revolution. In this article, we discuss the meaning, purpose and notable examples of allegory in literature.

What is Allegory?

Allegory requires depicting abstract ideas and themes with characters and plots. The word comes from the Latin “allegoria,” which means speaking to imply something else. In an allegorical narrative, things convey more than they seem to on the surface. Here, situations in the story may mirror stories from history or modern-day events without explicitly expressing this association.

Purpose of Allegory in Fiction

Allegory creates significant effects in writing that are hard to ignore. Here are just a few of them:

1. It presents intensive ideas in a narrative form that allows readers to grasp them without difficulty.

2. It educates readers clearly and interestingly with vivid, simplistic symbolism.

3. It's one of the creative ways to employ satire in your narrative fiction.

4. It offers an artistic way of relating real-life ideas and events with fictional narration.

5. It gives writers an incredible technique for demonstrating the meaning and effects of morals, spiritual truths, and philosophical ideas. 

Examples of Allegory

Here are some notable examples of narrative fiction that feature allegory:

Edgar Allan Poe, The Masque of the Red Death (1842). This is another one of Poe’s works that feature fictional allegory. In an attempt to escape the Red Death, Prince Prospero retreats with his friends to one of his castellated abbeys, which has powerful, lofty walls and gates of iron. They lock themselves in the abbey, which is supposed to be safe from the Red Death. But they all died when a character dressed as Red Death invaded the monastery. This symbolizes the inevitability of death. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown (1835). This story symbolizes the fall of man and the inherent fallibility and hypocrisy in American religion. Goodman Brown represents Eve from the Bible. His curiosity gets the better of him through the devil's temptation, and in investigating the mystery of the forest, his eyes were open to the wickedness in him and others around him. This revelation ruins his relationship with everyone, including his darling wife, Faith. 

John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress (1678). This is an example of a religious allegory. Here, fictional characters depict the Christian ideas of hope and mercy in the struggle and journey of the main character, Christian, as he searches for salvation. On his way to the Celestial City, he encounters Hypocrisy, Apollo, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Obstinate and Pliable. And they try to dissuade him from his journey. But carried by Hopeful's faith, he made it to the City of God.

George Orwell, Animal Farm (1945). This is a farm fable where the animals overthrow the farmer to escape oppression. But unfortunately, the vicious cycle of oppression occurs again when a small group of pigs put themselves in charge of the farm. This fable depicts the events of the Russian Revolution, where Bolshevik and liberal revolutionaries overthrew the Russian Czar. Two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, symbolize the historical figures, Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin, respectively.