A symbol is defined as “something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance” by the Merriam Webster dictionary. In literature, it can be either universal or personal or both in a number of different ways. In order to understand the relationship between universal and personal symbols, we need to know their distinct features.
Universal symbols have a previously defined meaning, agreed upon by the majority of people across cultures, they usually refer to concepts more universal than the physical aspect itself. Some examples are: spring symbols for a new beginning, the sun stands for power and warmth, the signs for a woman with skirt tells bathrooms.
On the other
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First, universal symbols usually develops from personal symbols. No matter how widely accepted the symbol is, it is not created and accepted by everybody at the same time. The peace sign and symbol of the was designed in the 1950s as a logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. It has now become the symbol of a utopian hope for a world of global peace and widely adopted across the world. Second, there’s grey area between universal and personal symbols, some people call them cultural symbols. For instance, a dog can be viewed either as a loyal friend in one culture or ritually unclean in another. Third, there are usually many layers of meanings in symbolism. Universal and personal symbols can be used concurrently in different layers to provoke more thoughts from the readers. One perfect example is the nickname of the protagonist in “Life of Pi”. Pi is a letter in Greek Alphabet, which stands for an irrational mathematical number with too many decimals to be remembered by an ordinary human being. On the first layer, the name tells readers that the protagonist has a mysterious life that cannot be comprehended easily. This is more universal compared to the deeper layer in meaning. The author, Martel reminds us through the title both of the continuity of life and the openness of Pi's story. Like the value of Pi, what is written down in the story is never the most