Want to spark a passionate discussion?  Ask a room full of writers whether they intentionally include themes in their work.  You’re going to get a variety of answers — including some that claim there are no themes in their work. But theme is underlying meaning, and any work that truly exists without them will be forgettable and have nothing to say about the human experience.

Symbolism is a way to telegraph theme without having to spell everything out.  This can save room on the page, and invite the reader to have a deeper connection to the work as some of the impact is felt in the form of discovery, piecing together what the symbols mean and how they change throughout the piece.

Answers on symbolism are just as varied as those on theme.  In 1963, 16-year-old Bruce McAllister sent 150 novelists a four-question survey to determine if they intentionally “planted” symbolism in their work.  You can read some of the original responses — in the authors’ own handwriting — in this article at The Paris Review.

Isaac Asimov said, “Consciously? Heavens, no! Unconsciously? How can one avoid it?”

Conversely, Ralph Ellison said, “Man is a symbol-making and -using animal. Language itself is a symbolic form of communication. The great writers all used symbols as a means of controlling the form of their fiction. Some place it there subconsciously, discovered it and then developed it. Others started out consciously aware and in some instances shaped the fiction to the symbols.”

What I find most interesting is how many writers replied somewhere in between.  The gist of many of the responses is that the writer noticed symbols emerging in the work (without consciously starting out to insert them) and played into it, using them intentionally to make a point and add resonance.  Whether intentionally added or being spotted after the work is finished, he consensus seems to be that symbols must naturally fit into the piece, rather than being forced in to make a point.  Ellison also said, “Symbols which are imposed upon fiction from the outside tend to leave the reader dissatisfied by making him aware that something extraneous is added.”

What short stories have stuck with you over time?  What “it factor” do you remember each one having?