Sneaky Symbolism

This week we are talking about symbolism: specifically, how one series uses symbolism to emphasize meaning and overall tone. We use symbolism in writing all the time to add depth and meaning to a story, but it also gives the reader the opportunity to do some scavenging and detective work of their own. It’s also incredibly satisfying as both a reader and author to figure out clues and easter eggs hidden throughout a story. It shows that the story was cared for and well thought out.

I wanted to highlight the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation novels in particular, because since reading the novels, I’ve also had the chance to watch its animated and live-action adaptation. Something that’s really interesting about this is that this type of novel censors romantic aspects in the animated and live-action version, but the author has crafted her story in such a way that even when you take all romance out, the story is still romantic. She does this through well-crafted character arcs that compliment each other and symbolism.

I’ve already spoken a lot about the plot of the story in the monthly wrap ups, so check those out if you haven’t already. The first example of romantic symbolism is the song. The name of the song is revealed at the end of the last novel, but it’s their shared song created by the love interest that only the pair of them know. The name itself is also romantic, but this will be as spoiler free as possible so if you know, you know. Surprisingly, the animated version also revealed the name but the live-action kept the title hidden. Because this is a song only the pair know, it was used as a plot element to drive the story forward. Meaning, the story wouldn’t make sense without it or a lot of changes would have to be made to the source material.

Another example is the headband. In all iterations of the story, the love interest’s headband they wear across their forehead is supposed to be sacred and symbolize personal restraint. This garment is only supposed to be touched by a person’s parent or chosen partner. So guess who (unknowingly) put their hands all over that headband? You guessed it, our protagonist. This is done several times throughout the novel with different reactions from the love interest. You see how they themselves accept their feelings for the protagonist to the point of eventually removing the headband themself and willingly wrapping it around the protagonist. The live-action scene was one of my favorites that was added where the headband had (for plot reasons, of course) to be wrapped around both the protagonist and love interest to be able to cross into a new territory and the whole thing looked suspiciously like a wedding…I was not complaining.

Next, alcohol. I don’t see this one talked about much but I think it’s important to all versions of the story. Our love interest comes from a strict background where alcohol is forbidden and they pride themselves on self-restraint. Several times in the novel (namely, after the protagonist is back from the dead) we see the love interest willingly partake in drinking with the protagonist. This ends up being a bad idea most of the time, the love interest not being able to tolerate alcohol well, but it shows their willingness to be open around the protagonist and give up sticking to their strict rules from home all the time, a big change from where we see the love interest from their younger days. The love interest also tends to act more childish when drinking and tries to recreate what the protagonist told them about their childhood. Playing the same games and living the same experiences. Which leads to funny, but also romantic feelings as the love interest expressed their desire to feel closer to the protagonist. On the topic of alcohol, I have to mention some of the shenanigans our love interest gets into that also involve more symbolism. Some of these are relative to Chinese culture. For example, when the love interest steals a chicken and gifts it to the protagonist, which symbolizes a gift to a betrothed.

Next, bunnies. Bunnies are surprisingly in this story a lot and until I’d done my own research, I had previously thought the bunnies were symbolic of the pair and their interactions (in the novel and animated version, there are a black bunny and white bunny–symbolic of the color of robe each one wears) but it turns out, there’s more. In Chinese mythology, there is a ‘rabbit God’ called Tu’er Shen–I’ll leave you to look up the meaning if you are so inclined. But the rabbits are originally a gift to the love interest, who goes from reluctantly taking them to nurturing them and having a deep fondness for the animal. In the live action, the two release a lantern together with a drawn rabbit on the side.

In the novel, the pair pay respects to fallen loved ones by bowing twice. The protagonist asks the loved ones he is bowing to to count those two bows as part of a marriage ceremony. In Chinese culture bowing three times symbolizes marriage. In the live-action, they sneakily get away with three bows.

In the animated version, they also allude to marriage when (for plot reasons) both wear red robes before charging into battle. Red, being the color of joy and celebration used for events like weddings.

The live action also depicts other sneaky phrases not included in the novel such as the scissors gesture to the love interest's robes, a sneaky nod to the phrase ‘cut sleeve’ often used in the novel. There is also when the protagonist tells the love interest that they will sleep on their roof that night, which symbolizes a confession to the person in the house.

Of course, there probably are things I am missing, but in all versions, it’s very clear that the pair are not only destined to be together but even in the absence of declarations of love or physical expressions like kisses, the story is meant to be romantic.

Now, while I did want another excuse to talk about my favorite story, there is a lot we can take from this and apply it to our own writing. Love between the main couple was obviously something that was necessary and irreplaceable, so the author made sure that it was constantly referenced, no matter if the story was censored or not.

When writing, we often have broader themes in our novels. This could be friendship, self-acceptance, love, etc. whatever the case may be, we can strengthen our story and make it more entertaining for the reader (because as readers, we want to find all the clues) by adding little details and symbols. Take time to research elements that you could add to your novel based on your theme. An example for a story about friendship could be one person giving their respected person something and they keep a double of the same thing, symbolizing like a friendship bracelet. This could be with a string or some object that the pair could keep. If it’s a romantic connection, the cord could be red, symbolizing the red string of fate. These details like I said at the beginning show the amount of thought and care you have put into your story and the readers will thank you for it. One day, I’ll hush about this series but today is not that day. See you all next time and as always, write-on!