2. Literature Review

2.1 Symbols and Symbolism

In “The Dead”, Joyce employs a lot of symbols. A symbol is something that conveys two kinds of meaning: it is simply itself, and it stands for something other than itself. Symbols can be objects, characters, concrete representation of ideas, concepts or other abstractions. People, place, things and even events can be used symbolically. A symbol is a way of telling a story and a way of conveying meaning. Some symbols are conventional as they have a range of significance that is commonly understood in a particular culture. Other symbols are private or personal, having a special significance derived from their particular use by an author. (Huang, 2000:146) In this paper, symbols refer to expressions of ideas through the use of images or other things.