Symbolism Magic ~ Architecture

Maximize psychological undertones and overtones in your writing to make a more powerful story!

Words are magic. Powerful magic. Often imbued with symbolic meaning— nuance, subtext, connotation, and feelings—deep within our collective consciousness. Meanings we respond to on a visceral level.

 

The roof overhead, the window your character gazes through, the threshold walked across—all these structural features can be used symbolically.

 

  Here’s a few things to consider and questions that may help jump start your symbolic thinking.  Remember, adding symbolic nuance to your writing can deepen your story, foreshadow, build upon character, hide or reveal conflict, or be a mirror for the character’s emotion.

 

Windows

let in the light of knowledge/understanding
allows character to view the outside world–which may or may not be a good thing
Are the windows dirty or clean? And what might that represent?
Are the drapes/ blinds closed or open?
Stained glass—especially those with religious iconography—shout RELIGION. The observer sees the world through the dogma of their religion.

 

Doors

divide between good and evil
are a transition from one stage of life to another
divide between one world and another
locked doors suggest secrets and forbidden places/worlds/experiences

 

Archways

divine or religious entrance into another state of being
rebirth
metaphysical time-space threshold
Is it crumbled, ancient, modern, marred, or pristine?

 

Wall

suggest strength
divide people
bar people
provide privacy
keep people out or others in
Is there a hole in the wall? Is it stone, plaster? Can you hear through it? What’s on the walls?

 

Floors

earthy realm
suggest being grounded in reality
flooring type may be symbolic
Is it marble ( wealth ) or rustic wood ( humility )?
Is it creaky, dirty, clean, shiny? Does a bug scuttle across? What’s on the floor that should not be there?

 

Roofs

provide shelter
keep evil out
The shape of the roof may be suggestive
Domed roofs are emblematic of heaven
Low roofs suggest restriction or being hemmed in by dogmas
Vaulting roofs may be metaphor for high-mindedness or lofty ideals

 

Hallways

a transitional space
the location before deciding which symbolic door you will enter
Is it dimly light, bright, narrow, wide? Do footsteps echo?

 

Stairs

A character going up might suggest enlightenment and knowledge
A character going down might suggest moral decline, or merely down into the depths of your understanding
winding staircases suggest mystery–one can’t see straight ahead
Are the stairs crooked, wide, slippery, worn?

 

Kitchens

traditional domain of women
are associated with maternal caretaking, be it with food, or spiritual and motherly nourishment
It’s also the best place to get your hands on a knife

 

 

Living rooms/Drawing rooms

The space where proper social behavior is expected
location of one’s public persona

 

Bedrooms

love
lust
where one’s true self appears

 

Librarys

synonymous with learning, knowledge, and education
place of ancient wisdom or secrets

 

Attics

repository of tucked away memories and secrets
place of half-remembered or forgotten truths
storage for relics of the family’s or ancestor’s past

 

Basement

deepest darkest secrets
underworld or lower realms
creepy or base desires

 

So  next time  you write “she looked out the window” think of ways that simple window might  reveal conflict, emotion or character.

 

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Note: I’ve taught literary analysis for over 15 years. And nobody died of boredom….yet.  I’ve also read and written my fair share of analytical papers  about stuff that would bore the pants off anyone who wasn’t a literary professor.