to convey. So that in Buried Child, Shepard has intention in writing the play, therefore this thesis tries to interpret or understand and give analysis to the story
through the symbolism as experience and values in real world.
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Theory of Symbolism
Shepard’s Buried Child contains many symbols, which are actually encouraging the reader to understand further about the hidden meanings, which
viewed by the author through it. But to determine whether something in a story is symbolic or not, we must decide if it consistently refers beyond itself to a
significant idea, value, or quality. What is important; however, is that the symbol pints beyond itself to greater and more complex meaning. As Roberts said in his
book Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, a symbol pulls or draws together 1 a specific thing with 2 ideas, values, person, or ways of life, in
direct relationship that otherwise would not be apparent 1986: 326. Frank Madden also states in his book Exploring Fiction, Writing and Thinking about
Fiction that in short stories and other types of literature, a symbol is usually a person, thing, place, action, situation, or even thought 2002: 280. Perrine in his
book Sound and Senses: An Introduction to Poetry adds that symbol is something that means more than what it is. It is an object, a person, a situation, an action or
some other item that has a literal meaning in the story but suggest or represent other meaning as well 1969: 213. From those explanations, it can be understood
that symbols reveal a perception referring a real thing besides an abstract one. The 7
symbol itself has its own scope of meaning in a certain story, but not outside it. Symbol possesses its own reality and meaning and may function as the normal
level of reality within a story. When a symbol is introduced, it signifies a specific combination of attitudes, a sustained constancy of meaning, and the potential for
wide–ranging application. A symbol as a constant against a background of variables is the same as a theme without variations. It embodies ideas or emotions
that the author and the readers share in common as a result of their social and cultural heritage.
Holman and Harmon state that symbol is a trope that combines a literal and sensuous quality with an abstract or suggestive aspect 1968: 44. While
according to Guth, symbols are images that have a meaning beyond its literal role in the narrative. Meanwhile Abrams defines symbol as a word or phrase that
signifies an object or event, which in turn signifies something or a range of reference, beyond itself 1985: 195.
There are various ways of identifying symbol. Kennedy in his book Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama suggest several ways of
identifying symbols. In his opinion to look for symbols it is necessary to focus on certain characters or actions because usually the author invents them based on
certain characters and their actions. The author lends them some special significance in order to support the idea. Kennedy further adds that the readers
should be careful with words, phrases or sentences which are mentioned repeatedly, because they might suggest symbols 1983: 147. While Rohrberger
and Woods state that the readers can usually trust the story for the identification 8
