Inanimate Objects

The importance of inanimate objects in literature cannot be overstated. They often evolve to become a key feature of the plot. In Othello, by William Shakespeare, the handkerchief is just such a symbol. In the beginning of Desdemona and Othello's relationship it represented their love. It was the first gift he had ever given to her and she always kept it with her. This changes when she drops the handkerchief on the ground. Iago's poison had already began to affect their relationship and Desdemona losing the key symbol of their love reflects that. Its symbolic meaning changes when Iago uses the handkerchief as "proof" that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. To Othello the handkerchief now represents his lost love for Desdemona and is concrete proof that she has cheated on him. Iago poisons their marriage and the symbolic meaning of the handkerchief taking it from a loving token of affection to a symbol of adultery and jealousy.

Lord of the Flies also has an inanimate object at the core of its plot. The conch shell is the first symbol. It is what calls together the survivors of the crash in the first place. It later becomes a symbol of power and government as the boys attempt to organize. Eventually the conch is a symbol of civilization. If the boys still respect the power of the conch, then they have not totally lost sanity, they have not totally turned savage, and they remember their upbringing maintaining a sense of dignity. Piggy's glasses also become a symbol. The conch held great power in the beginning of the novel but as the story progresses it loses power because symbols only hold power when people believe in it.