AP Literary Analysis- The Symbol and the Guest Often times in pieces of writing like stories and other works of fiction, writers include various types of symbols to convey certain ideas and present common themes. A literary symbol is something that means more than what it suggests on the surface. A symbol could be just about anything. A symbol could be a person, an action, or even an inanimate object, from a Jesus-like figure to curtains on a window, though it must be hinted at by the story that it is a symbol, one cannot simply be made up by the reader in order to make a connection. Symbolism is used like this throughout nearly every work of writing. The story “The Guest” is a story during a time of war. Daru, a lone member of one of the