Symbolism--accidental or intended. It's all good.

When I was in high-school, I had a fantastic English teacher. Actually, I had a few of them. One in particular stands out in my mind. Probably because I had him my junior and senior year (and I had a crush on him).

I always loved books. But Mr. H opened a new world to me within those books.

Our required reading was Lord of the Flies. Fascinating book that I would probably never in my life have picked up had I not been made to.

I read the book, thought it was powerful and entertaining. In class, we dissected the symbolism. Up until that point, I had no idea there was such a thing.

If I recall, the character's initial's were JC. Symbolic for Jesus Christ, or a sacraficial lamb. Wow, I thought. How cool.

There was much symbolism in that book. The lord of the flies represented satan. The killing of the pig scene was symbolic of a rape. etc.

I love symbolism. I love to catch it in a book, kind of like buying an ice-cream and getting an extra scoop for free.

I love to use symbolism in my writing too. Although, seldom does anyone pick it up. Instead, they point out the symbolism I hadn't tried for. And then I see it too and that's a cool feeling.

For instance, in my first novel, Saving Eden, the book opens with my protagonist's ring finger laid out on the cutting board. She's ready to slice her finger as a means of severing her relationship with her husband. She's desperate and depressed and under the influence of darkness. But, as she goes to bear down, she hits her wedding ring instead of flesh.

My friend pointed out how symbolic it was that the marriage saved her. It was so obvious when she pointed it out. Maybe my subconcious had it all figured out, I don't know, but it doesn't really matter. It's there.

Later in the book, I had the protagonist's husband give up on their marriage and as he left the house he bumped into an expensive vase on a pedastol. The crash resonates through him and "Countless shards of beauty lay wasted on the floor." (in his mind, his love for his wife)

Later, the protagonist learns the vase was a cheap copy. Not worth much.
And that too was symbolic. What lay on the floor was not something worth saving. It was a cheap copy of a marriage. Later, they would have the real thing.

The symbolism of the cheap vase also foreshadowed the deceit of the witch antagonist.

Symbolism is fun. It adds layers to a work. It's great to have a good story, but to me at least, its even better to have one that someone can read over and over and find a new gem each time.

UPDATE

My productivity yesterday was pretty good. I read through the first six chapters of The Demon Chaser. I rewrote some stuff. Realized my demon's name was "Bane" and a main character's name is "Bailey" maybe too close. So, I have him referred to mostly by his first name, Mosalic to avoid confusion.

Then, I added another chapter from the demon's pov. It's taxing writing from his pov. He creeps me out. I guess that's good. So I've got a new chapter seven. Today, I'll reread the new chapter and make some changes then continue on reading and editing. And that's the update. Now, I'm off to get another cup of coffee and read my Bible. Great symbolism in that book, btw.