How Do You Analyze Allegory In Literature?
An allegory is a piece of literature that uses a literal tale as a stand-in for an underlying theme, message or metaphor. Allegories can come in all forms of literature from Bible passages and epic poems to science fiction/fantasy tales. All allegories follow a similar pattern. They use characters, plot, imagery or any other literary tool as a metaphor for deeper meanings. In order to analyze allegorical implications in literature, it is important first to read closely and pay attention to the different elements the writer uses. Read the literature and take notes. Pay attention to whether or not there are allegorical aspects of the story. Are there deeper meanings that can be extracted from the literal tale? Analyze the plot. What is the story about? Write down a summary of the plot and determine whether the story can stand on its own and whether it might have a deeper underlying meaning. For instance, in a science fiction story, the plot of an alien race fighting for its survival on a
