Animal symbolism in literature

Literature starting from its beginning has the usage of symbols. This paved the way to a literary concept symbolism. It is an art of using an object to describe or represent an abstract. All the abstract objects mentioned in literature have a symbolic meaning. Symbolism is used in different ways like colors, animals, birds, real objects, human, etc. In the classical stories one can find the use of caves, animals etc. and it is evident that the use of animals in our world from thousands of years ago, to today, has created deep meaning in our lives. The meanings of animals in literary works can be interpreted in different ways. The writers use animals which help them to write about subjects that are controversial and sensitive social issues which strengthen and emphasize their points and fulfil the purpose of their work. Jonathan Swift is one of the writers to use symbolism in his literary works. In his The Battle of the Books, the spirit of the controversy caught on towards the end of the seventeenth century is reflected. Dogs are used as symbolism. They refer to an unruly group of dogs in terms of a republic. He examines the behaviour of dogs and compares to the writers of the Ancient and the Modern. Moreover, George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant describes the reaction of the shooting of the elephant among the natives and the Europeans in the town. This paper tries to examine the use of symbolism.