Exercise: An Allegory and a Symbol Walk Into a Bar…
It is exercise week at Theology of Storytelling, where the focus is on building a practical, writing skill that can then be applied to any storytelling project where it might be useful. While it will be writing-based, the overall concept and way of thinking about story creation can easily be applied elsewhere and in the other mediums. Both symbolism and allegory can be used in any type of story, whether it be word-, picture-, or sound-based. It will be up to you, the storyteller, to adapt these devices for your chosen media, but this article will try to take a more generalized approach to creating allegory and symbolism.
And, remember, this is not supposed to be a ready-for-publication piece of work, but an exercise. Make mistakes, write forty-seven drafts, and, above all, give yourself permission to learn.
There is no formal word count or formatting style for this exercise so that it can be adapted to your preferred medium. However, if you are a writer and having more structure would be helpful to you, aim to write a 500 word short story or 5 page script in your preferred genre and setting. This exercise also assumes you are aware of the basics of storytelling, such as prose, style, dialogue, character development, worldbuilding, and plot.
For those inclined to the visual arts, such as comic book artists, animators, or painters, the same kind of process will apply, but in a much more visual sense. The Setting the Stage section below should be the same, however, Plotting and Scheming is particularly geared towards writing. Instead, incorporate all of the elements in Setting into a cohesive piece of artwork (perhaps an illustration or a comic book page) that visually tells the protagonist’s story.
Setting the Stage
The first step to this exercise is to figure out what theological concept will be the allegory, since that is the story’s primary message. For this exercise, we will keep it somewhat small and focused: Jesus as the Bread of Life. To break the concept down further, having only one source of true, spiritual nourishment not found in worldly things. Then, decide whether the story is going to have an overt or covert message. Is this piece going to be more literal, with obvious Christian elements shining brightly throughout? Or is it going to be more subtle, with Christian concepts explained and demonstrated through other means?
The second step is to decide on the protagonist. Who conveys the story’s message through their actions or reactions? Who drives the plot forward towards the allegory? Picture them physically, determine a few personality traits, but, most importantly, determine their context. Define the world and life that surrounds them and drives them towards this truth. Are they caught in a cycle of hollow, earthly pleasures leaving them feeling empty and spiritually malnourished under the neon lights of the city? Or are they surrounded by suffering and scarcity, spiritually empty and broken? Then, figure out how to express their spiritual suffering in non-spiritual ways — even for a story with an overt message, show the character’s ruin to the audience. They may be lonely, emotionally empty, angry, physically weak, thirsty, devoid of peace and security, or any number of other results of — or stand-ins for — spiritual destitution.
The third step is to define some kind of symbol for this character’s spiritual journey. For this exercise, make it a negative symbol; one that emphasizes their spiritual ruin. It could be an object that holds meaning to them, perhaps an idol like alcohol or money. It could be a concept that they are chasing, like fame or prestige in their workplace. It could also be physical, like a limp or shaking hands; a scar or matted hair. It could also surround them, like graffiti that encourages them towards their idol, or posters of a more famous, richer, or more successful person. Something that the character can “carry” with them through the entire story as a reminder of their current life and spiritual suffering, something that tries to drive them further towards sin and an unfulfilled life.
The fourth and final step is to determine what is going to pull the character out of their ruin. For an overt message, something like a church, cross, or Bible verse. Perhaps even a specific guide in the form of a preacher or angel to help them find the Bread of Life. For a more covert message, something meaningful and with a positive Christian lean to it. It could be as literal as a loaf of fresh bread to fill their hungry stomach, or as subtle as the character finding fulfillment in self-sacrifice or pursuing their true calling (a stand-in for God’s will upon their life).
Plotting and Scheming
Once all of the basics have been laid out, the next step is to being plotting. This allegory is going to be defined first by the character’s spiritual destitution, haunted by the symbol, then by a defining event, where they are introduced to their fulfillment, and ending with the character’s positive transformation. Each section can be as long or as short as it needs to be for the story, but each of the three below should be represented.
Part I: Spiritual Starvation - Take time to define the protagonist’s context. Bring out the details of their life that are causing their spiritual malnourishment and introduce the symbol of this ruin. If their context is earthly pleasures, focus on the raucous delight they are enjoying, perhaps punctuated by moments where the audience can see how miserable the character really is. If their context is suffering and scarcity, take away what they have. If they barely have anything, take away more. The key in this stage — regardless of the character’s context — is to leave the protagonist desperate for a solution and to paint that picture for the audience.
Part II: Salvation Moment - This is the moment where the protagonist has a breakthrough. It is simultaneously the worst moment in their life, and also the best. They have reached the end of their rope, they are suffering spiritually, physically, or emotionally, the negative symbol that was established previously is haunting their every step, and just as they are about to give up…some event occurs that radically changes them. This may come in any form that makes sense for the character; if they are prone to raucous hedonism, this may be them stumbling upon a small park or natural field, where things are peaceful and calming. If they are destitute, this may be the generosity of another person. Either way, the character is changed irreparably and in a positive, Christian way. The negative symbol that has been haunting them has been broken, disappeared, or made new.
For the allegory to work, this event should be centered around the character intaking something; not necessarily eating, depending on what you chose for the solution, but there needs to be a moment where they acquire and digest — emotionally, spiritually, or physically — the solution from outside. Think of the original verse: “…I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…” (John 6:35, ESV). There is this element of intaking or ingesting in order to feel satisfied. The character can read something (which would represent the Word symbolically) and take it to heart, listen to someone (who would represent Jesus symbolically) say something and internalize it. Or they could simply eat, finding something that finally fills their stomach. Either way, there needs to be an intake and a change.
Part III: Permanent Solution - The final part of this story focuses on the aftermath of the Salvation Moment. How is the character changed, now that their soul is satisfied? How has their life been altered now that they are no longer bound to hunger and thirst? Most importantly: how is the character thriving, now that their negative lifestyle or situation has been lifted? Now that they are no longer being haunted by the negative symbol, how has the character’s context changed for the better? Express their newfound freedom and show to the audience what that character’s fulfilment looks like.
Putting it All Together
And, just like that, you have written an allegory, complete with symbolism! The basic principles of creating an allegory can be applied to any size or format of story, from hefty novel trilogies to short comic strips to feature films. They can also be easily adapted for any audience and to fit any Biblical message or theological concept, and are invaluable tools for the Christian storyteller to master.
For further exercise, take one of the following concepts and go through the above steps again to craft another story:
God’s mercy towards humanity (you can use Noah or the Minor Prophets as a reference).
The concept of sacrificing oneself for another (echoing Christ’s sacrifice).
The steadfastness of God’s covenant keeping (think of how God never abandoned the Israelites).
Remember: an allegory is about the overarching concepts surrounding Biblical stories, not the stories themselves!
