 
“Is that a Symbol? Sure why not. It’s the next question that gets hairy: what does it mean, what does it stand for” (Foster 18)? In Thomas C. Foster’s “Is That a Symbol” this quote explores the idea that there is a larger aspect when it comes to a symbol’s meaning. The idea of symbolism is not solely a definition; rather it allows for each to be unique, whether that is the rivers in both Hart Crane’s, and T.S. Elliot’s poems, or the symbolic meaning of a white flag. Foster not only defines a symbol, but he goes in depth about how one interprets a symbol and how our background influences that. 

The idea of symbolism is widely understood, but many do not understand that symbols can have many different meanings.  Foster highlights this point when he states “Here’s the problem with symbols: people expect them to mean something. Not just any something, but one something in particular” (Foster 18). Countless people believe that a symbol must have the same meaning for everyone, which is not true. Some symbols may be limited in range, but generally, a symbol cannot be reduced to one singular thing. Foster explains that if a symbol has one single meaning, it is not symbolism at all, in fact, it is allegory. He later points this out when he brings up the example of a white flag. To many, this may be the most straightforward symbol because it is view by almost all to symbolize surrendering, but Foster brings up the point that others may believe the white flag symbolizes coming in peace. In this scenario, the most common symbol, which many believe has one single meaning, does not. This example proves that a symbol cannot be reduced to a singular meaning, rather it has a range of possibilities. Foster believes that the different views are based on an individual’s experiences and preexisting knowledge. 

Symbolism does not only apply to the real world, in fact, symbolism is primarily found in literature. “What the cave symbolizes will be determined by how the individual reader engages the text” (Foster 21). This quote refers to how a reader will interpret a specific text differently based on the way they engage the text. Foster believes that several factors influence the way we understand symbols, these include: education, gender, race, class, and faith. The differences in these traits are what create the conflicting interpretations of the meaning of symbols. If everyone had the same personal background, every symbol would be reducible to a singular meaning. But that is not the case, which creates a range of meanings for each symbol. 

The range of meanings for symbols allows for the interpretation to be completely up to the reader. “Seriously, what do you think it stands for because that’s probably what it does. At least to you” (Foster 18). The last portion of this quote is important because it shows Foster’s belief that the interpretation is entirely up to the individual. The first part highlights the fact that the idea of a symbol cannot be wrong, at least not to you. Everyone has a unique background and different traits, which all factor into the way a symbol is interpreted. Foster hypothesizes that a reader will interpret writing differently based on the individual’s emphasis on the various factors listed above. These factors allow for certain features in the text to become more or less pronounced. As readers, we bring our individual history into account when we are reading, which influences the way the text can be interpreted. An example of this comes from two different texts, one being Hart Crane’s poem “The Bridge,” and the other being T.S. Elliot’s “The Waste Land.”  Each author highlights the meaning of rivers to them; Crane with the Mississippi and Eliot with the River Thames. To each author the river has a distinct meaning. To Eliot, the River Thames is symbolic of the collapse of western civilization, which does not factor into Crane’s piece. In “The Waste Land,” Eliot-like most British poets-immortalize the Thames. Despite how he depicts the river; in the modern world it is just a dirty river. Eliot’s background causes him to symbolize the Thames differently than a reader would in the U.S. Similarly, a reader outside of the U.S. will symbolize the East, Hudson, and Mississippi Rivers completely different than Crane and other Americans. Foster believes that the connection in how one interprets a symbol, and their personal background goes hand in hand. Otherwise, everyone would connect the Thames to Eliot’s beliefs, or the Mississippi and Hudson according to Crane’s ideas. Rather, Foster believes that it is important for a reader to have the freedom to interpret the text differently.

In “Is That a Symbol?”  Thomas Foster emphasizes that personal backgrounds play a major role when it comes to interpreting a symbol. Not every symbol is going to be interpreted the same way, in fact, most will not be. Foster believes that our personal background: education, race, religion, and gender, all shape the way we go about interpreting. Since everyone’s background is not the same, the meanings of each symbol should not be the same. But to Foster this is larger than a symbol, it is the ability to think freely, and challenging opposing viewpoints. He believes that the interpretation of a symbol is completely up to the reader, and to do so, he brings up text such as Hart Crane’s “The Bridge,” and T.S. Elliot’s “The Waste Land.”  These two pieces help highlight Foster’s beliefs because both authors use their personal background to interpret the river that they are talking about. To Foster, symbolism serves as an example that when making decisions each will base their choice on their backgrounds, which means that to them individually there is no wrong answer.
 