“Allegories, when well chosen, are like so many traces of light in a speech, making everything in them clear and beautiful” – Joseph Addison

Some of the most famous allegories of the last century could be “The Chronicles of Narnia” by author CS Lewis.

In this allegory, Lewis presented his entertaining stories, using animals and creatures from his own imagination. These stories are wonderfully crafted in the sense that they can stand on their own as lovely stories. However, the point of allegory is to present a story that serves another purpose with a separate meaning.

According to Encarta, an allegory is defined as a “symbolic work: a work in which characters and events are to be understood as representing other things and symbolically expressing a deeper meaning, often spiritual, moral, or political.”

John Bunyan chose a more classical approach for his allegory “A Pilgrim’s Progress.” In Bunyan’s book, the characters actually derive their names from the trait they adopted. For example, Christian was a believer, The Slough of Despond made those who fell into it despondent and want to give up the journey, other namesakes include Evangelist, Obstinate, and Flexible.

The use of allegory is well noted in classical children’s literature. A moral is often placed in the actions and decisions of the characters. Often the main figures in the allegory are animals or fantasy creatures.

Allegory is a style of writing that is somewhat specialized and stands out when submitted to a publisher. This does not mean that all allegories are published. In fact, very few are published today. However, the use of allegory can drive a point home in ways that many other styles of writing cannot.

Interestingly, JRR Tokien, who was a close friend of CS Lewis, did not like allegories. He once wrote: “I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have since I grew up and was cautious enough to detect its presence.”

Tolkien insisted that his Lord of the Rings stories lacked allegory, but many have seen a clear allegorical link to the moral truths within the pages of these stories.

In the end, allegory is simply a tool in a writer’s arsenal. It may not be used much, but it should be understood and accepted as an effective means of getting a point across.