A Research on Symbolism in The Animal Tales

Human beings by nature are meaning-seeking animals. This assertion stems from the fact that humans engage in symbols and symbolism for the understanding and interpretation of some phenomena. Many scholars have attempted the definition of symbolism; though most of the definitions differ from one critic to another. Frye (1957), for instance, defines symbolism as “any unit of any literary structure that can be isolated for critical attention. A word, a phrase, or an image used with some kind of special reference (which is what a symbol is usually taken to mean) are all symbols when they are distinguishable elements in critical analysis”. Okpewho (1992) perceives symbol as a concrete or familiar object that is used in reference to, or as an explanation of, an abstract idea or a less familiar object or event. It is particularly useful means of conveying certain important truths or lessons about human life and the problems of existence. Okpewho (1992) goes further to explain that “as in written literature, symbols are widely employed in various forms of African oral literature for probing deep philosophical, moral, and spiritual matters. They are a mark of highly artistic sophistication in oral literature.”

According to Cuddon (1998), the word “symbol” “derives from the Greek verb, ‘symballein’, which means ‘to throw together’ and its noun form, ‘symbolon’, which means ‘mark’ or ‘sign’. Cuddon goes further to assert that it is an object, animate or inanimate, which represents something else”. Baudelaire (2006) states that symbolism is a literary theory in the 19th century that originated in France. According to him, Symbolism is characterised by emphasis on the associative use of language for demanding an unusual degree of symbolic interpretation of objects and words.

Isiguzo (2012) views symbol as “something such as idea, object, conventional or non-conventional that is used to represent something else. It could be abstract or not”. Isiguzo goes further to explain that symbol is something such as idea, object, conventional that is used to represent something else. Such idea or object could either be abstract or not.

Ejizu (2012) on his own part posits symbol as “a thing recognised as normally typifying, representing or recalling something of great practical importance by possession of analogous qualities or association in fact or thought”. A symbol is a particularly useful means of conveying certain important truths or lessons about human life and the problem of existence. However, different critics differ in their definition and perception of symbolism.

Symbolism actually serves as embellishment in fictional works because it enriches the narrative by moving the message down to the level of the unconscious and pegging it there. Fadaee (2012: 95) opines that symbolism is one of the stylistic devices that are often used in narratology to convey certain messages indirectly. Symbolism, or the use of symbols involves using an object, an attitude, a belief, or a value in order to represent an abstract idea; it takes something ordinary or basic and makes it more than it is in reality. Ejizu (2010) also points out the fact that symbols permit man to say and express his desires, his dreams, and what he has best experienced, for the organisation of his life. A symbol possesses double meanings: ‘a literal meaning’ which is what that entity or thing really is, and ‘a symbolic meaning’, which is what the entity or thing represents. Omenuko (2014) is of the view that the meanings of symbols are grounded in conventions and ideals of a given society. Symbolism in literature conveys more than mere words. It is one of the tools that could be employed by narrators or writers not only to generate interest in their works but also to create some other levels of meaning in such works.

Symbol is operative in almost all aspects life and in all cultures. A symbol is not to be confused with other related figures of speech such as imagery, simile or metaphor, hence Perrine’s (1983: 81) assertion that “an image means only what it is; and a symbol means what it is and something more too”. Burroway (2011) toes the same line of thought with Perrine, by saying that “symbol differs from metaphor and simile in that it needs not contain a comparison, rather by virtue of association, represents something more or something other than itself”. This is to say that symbolic meaning is not engendered from comparison;it could be arbitrary or conventional. Abrams and Harpham (2009), besides explaining the fact that symbols stand for other things beyond themselves, state clearly that things are charged with significances beyond their physical qualities and that such “significance is determined within a particular culture”. This goes a long way to show that symbols are somehow culture-specific; implying that symbolism which is the referent of symbol is mostly defined and determined by a particular culture. “It is an image that evokes an objective, concrete reality and prompts that reality to suggest another level of meaning”.

Some scholars employed the use of symbols and symbolisms in their works. Gates (1984) makes heavy use of symbolism in his book, The Signifying Monkey; he uses the term signifyin(g) as an indirect verbal or gestural form of goading or insult by the use of profanity to explore the relationship between the African and African-American vernacular traditions and black literature, elaborating a new critical approach located within this tradition that allows the black voice to speak for itself. According to Gates, Signifyin(g) is homonym with the concept of signification that is put forth by Ferdinand de Saussure, in which case the signifier, which is the sound image interacts with the signified, which is the concept itself, to form a linguistic sign. Gates includes the linguistic concept of signifier and signified within the vernacular concept of signifyin(g). Gates’ repeated use of images and his distortion of the images appear as a hall of mirrors.

Nnabuihe (1996) looks at kola-nut as the symbol of Igbo life and unity. Nnabuihe (2008) also looks at the symbol of the concept of four in Igbo mythology. He concludes that the Igbo use four as a concept to mirror the world around them; to reflect on it and to interpret their understanding of the world. Nweze (2013) studies some of the symbolic notions applied in mathematics and Linguistics. Nweze arrives at the conclusion that in symbolic mode, the signifier does not have to resemble the signified; rather it is just a matter of conventional or arbitrary relationship that exists between the object and the symbol.

Igbokwe (2013) studies symbols and symbolism in Igbo culture and concludes that symbols are cultural representative of reality; the culture, norms and values of the Igbo are represented and expressed in symbols and symbolism, therefore without symbols and symbolism, the talk about Igboness and their culture will be non-existent or elusive.

Chidume et al (2015), like Nnabuihe (1996), look at the symbolism of kola-nut in Igbo cosmology. Chidume et al maintain that kolanut communion is a generic religious phenomenon which serves as the base and offshoot of the socio-cultural life of the Igbo people. They then conclude that the kolanut communion is much more than a symbol of hospitality; instead, the kolanut is a sacred covenant among the living, between the living and the departed, and for the adulation of ndiichie (ancestors). According to them, kolanut is a solemn sacrifice to benevolent deities in the presence of Ani, ‘the Earth deity’ in supplication that the divine will of Chineke (God)be done on earth.

In Igbo society, other symbolic objects also abound, for instance ọjị (kola-nut) symbolizes acceptance, ọmụnkwụ (tender palm leaf) symbolizes sacredness, danger or reverence, ofo symbolizes authority, truthfulness and equity while ogu is symbolic of innocence, right and justice.

In conclusion, in the tales under study, our focus is not on what these animals symbolise in their natural state but what they symbolise in the tales. This study actually subscribes to Okpewho’s view in that some of the symbols in the study are abstract while some are concrete. It should also be noted that the symbols in the animal tales as identified in this study are for the revelation of some obvious facts about the Igbo and their culture embedded in the tales, which without analysis of this nature may never be brought to the limelight. The animal tales, being analysed in this study actually represent what obtains in Igbo society, thereby helping the children in recalling the values, culture and expected norms in the society. Igbo animal tales are symbolic of what obtains in the society.