Symbolism in novels (continuation of the first blog)

This is the second half of the list and continuation of the previous post. 

   Some books are easy to read and the message is on the surface, but there are some books that are written about one thing that means something totally different.  Symbolism in literature is when you have to decipher the deeper meanings. Some argue that literature would all be puerile were it not for the symbolic idea that is conveyed; on the other hand, some assert that looking for symbols in non-symbolic works is just absurd and not worth spending time on. The following books demonstrate the fine line between enjoyable hidden meanings and gobbledygook.

 

          6.      The Castle by Franz Kafka

    Honestly, it is the strangest novel I have ever read. However, some people argue that Kafka criticized existing back then government structures in his novel as he was a talented satirist. That the castle symbolizes bureaucratic power and Mr Klamm symbolizes the person under that government who is helpless and not able to stand upon his rights, although he has those rights on paper.

         7.      The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

    Hemingway’s novel, for which he was awarded a Nobel Prize, is full of desperation and hope at the same time. The old man, Santiago, is said to symbolize the person who is in the pursuit of his dreams, who is very tired and torn but at the same time full of hope. “Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same colour as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.” The novel teaches not to give up, never ever. 

         8.      One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

    All I could feel while reading about Rebecca, who kills her husband or Amaranta Ursula, who marries her own nephew, was a strong feeling of repulsion. The only justification for recommending this book is that the youth can learn from the mistakes of the Buendia clan; unbridled passion is what destroys them. 

         9.      Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville

    Some people argue that you have to read the Bible first to understand Moby Dick. It is claimed that the whale symbolizes God; the captain Ahab to be a disbeliever and Ismail to be a believer. It all may look like it makes sense, if you pay attention to the names of the characters.

           10.   The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

The novel is about the generation Hemingway belonged to himself, the lost generation. It illustrates young people’s life styles in post-war time, when the youth was devoid of morality and ethics. 

      As shown above, I do not agree with every recommendation of Mr Amantay and yet I believe that every book categorized a classic can teach us some lessons. Having symbols in literature is a virtue, in a way, as it gives some food for thought. However it may not be worth spending time on, because most of the symbolism is just applesauce. What if all the inner and deeper meanings we find through symbols have never even occurred to the authors? What about you, do you tend to look for symbolic interpretations or think that symbol-hunting is grotesque?