A symbol is something which represents something else, often an idea or quality, by analogy. It may be conventional, private or extended. White, Lion, and rose commonly symbolize innocence, courage, and beauty. Such symbols exist by convention and tradition. A snake may stand for evil or wisdom, according to different conventions. Writers either use these conventional symbols or invent their own which are private symbols. Blake and Shelley, use both conventional and private symbols in their poetry. However, novelists also use symbols.
A symbol may be seen as a species of metaphor in which the exact subject is not explicit and may even be mysterious. A whole poem may be a symbol of this kind. Blake's The Stick Rose" is typical. Blake's children in his poems are symbol of innocence, Shelley's "West Wind" is a symbol of destroyer and preserver.
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