Give the gift of knowledge with a digital Writers Helping Writers® Store Gift Card.
A Gift Card

Symbolism Thesaurus Entry: Borders/Barriers

Reading time:

Writing Help

Every day we interact with objects, places and sensations that affect the way we think and feel. This can be used to the writer’s advantage by planting symbols in the reader’s path to reinforce a specific message, feeling or idea.

Look at the setting and the character’s state of mind, and then think about what you want the reader to see. Is there a descriptive symbol or two that works naturally within the scene to help foreshadow an event or theme, or create insight into the character’s emotional plight?

In Nature:

Shoreline/coastline
Mountain range
Deserts
Crevasses
Cliffs
Rivers…

In Society:

Doors
Doorways/entrances
Fences
Gates
Guardrails
Walls…

*Barriers can also be economic, educational, physical health restraints, mental limitations (fears, phobias) and popularity (money, degrees, handicap, memberships, notoriety)

These are just a few examples of things one might associate with Borders/Barriers. Some are more powerful than others. A concrete barrier wall is a strong symbol, and likely will not require reinforcement. However, the presence of a baby gate in a home might not foreshadow a border/barrier on its own. Let the story’s tone decide if one strong symbol or several smaller ones work the best.

Symbolism is a universal language that can add great depth and meaning to your story.

So you can reap the full benefit of this powerful tool, we’ve expanded the entire collection by 70% and integrated it into our online library at One Stop For Writers. Each entry comes with a long list of ideas for symbols and motifs, and we’ve included popular symbolism examples from literature and movies, as well. These entries have also been cross-referenced for easy searchability across all our other thesauri. To see a free sample of the updated Symbolism and Motif Thesaurus along with our other collections, pop on over and register at One Stop.

Becca Puglisi

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

14 Comments.

Comments are closed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. If you continue to use this site, you agree with it.