A serpent tempting a woman with forbidden fruit. A falcon with the disk of the sun shining in his right eye. A flaming sword that carries the power to revolutionize the world.
For thousands of years, humans have used symbols and metaphor to communicate complex ideas. This is evident in all kinds of ancient mythology, and even in sacred texts like the Bible. In modern times, the tradition continues through allegorical works of fiction, which serve as extended metaphors that relay subtle messages about real life through mystical narrative.
Some of the most famous works of classical antiquity are allegories. Plato's Cave (a story found in his Republic), for instance, describes a hapless group of people who live trapped in a cavern, and whose only sense of reality are the shadows projected from objects moving outside. This story serves as an important metaphor about the nature of education: that abstract concepts are useless—a mere shadow of reality—unless we venture outside "the cave" and experience reality directly for ourselves.
Allegory extends as far back as some of earliest forms of religious writing. In the Bible, both the Book of Genesis and the Book of Revelations are especially filled with symbolism. For instance, eating a tempting fruit serves as a metaphor for losing ones innocence, and a spreading garden represents the paradise of oneness with God. Similarly, in John's apocalyptic writings, a beast with ten horns represents the ultimate enemy of mankind in its final days.
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Nowadays, allegory lives on through works like L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and even fables like Animal Farm by George Orwell. All of these stories contain a typical narrative that the reader can enjoy and follow—but they also contain important philosophical and political messages.
Elements of Allegory
The core element of an allegory is that it functions on two levels: a surface layer that describes a series of events, and a (sometimes thinly) veiled deeper layer that reveals a hidden meaning. For instance, in Egyptian mythology, a devotee could literally believe that Ra was born on one side of the Nile every day, and then died on the other side, only to be reborn the next day—or he could see it as a metaphor for the daily cycle of the sun.
