
There are many symbols in everyday life, but the symbols do not have any substance until a person gives them meaning. Thomas C. Foster discusses the meaning of symbols and the variety of implications one symbol could have on different people. Foster does not question the idea whether or not something is a symbol, rather he argues the various meanings that one symbol could have. In the essay, "Is that a Symbol?" Thomas C. Foster uses the symbol of a cave because of its ability to be an abstract object that each person can bring their own unique and personal experiences to give meaning to it. 

In his essay, Foster uses a particular symbol, a cave, and depicts how one symbol could have various meanings. Foster discusses two characters, Aziz and Adela, and their experiences’ with the cave. The experience within the cave is an experience that is unique to Aziz and “every person’s caves are different” (20). How one feels in the cave is based on one’s own previous experiences and personal biases towards the cave. The cave is a vague idea for most people and it has a connotation of ambiguity that goes along with it. Because the cave is so ambiguous the reader has an opportunity to bring their own experiences to give it meaning, along with the characters. When Foster discusses that the experience is one’s own, he is suggesting that these symbols are unique and that is why each person’s symbols are differentiated. In Aziz’s case the cave is a terrifying idea because she is forced to deal with “her deepest personal fears and anxieties” (20). Aziz dealt with the feeling of silence and “nothingness” which then created a dark meaning to the cave for him (20).  Aziz was able to spend time in the cave in silence which gave him to opportunity to think and work out some personal issues. 

Foster also discusses Adela’s experience in the cave and described the horrors that she encountered. Adela does not share the fear of “nothingness” that Aziz did and therefore her experience brought out different fears and forced her to deal with different issues (20). Instead for Adela the cave forced her to deal with previous decisions that she made in her own life and she reflected on how those decisions had affected her and what they meant for the future. Adela came to the realization that she had not taken control of her own life. By “failing to take responsibility for her own existence,” she had not given meaning to the symbols in her life (21). The time she spent in the cave enabled her to give meaning to the symbols in her life. Because of the new meaning to the symbols in her life, she then was able to reflect on her time in the cave and give meaning to the cave. The cave itself was the same for both characters but it was the experience that differentiated the impact and future meaning of the cave. 

While the thoughts about the cave for both Aziz and Adela are different because of what the cave brought out emotionally, both characters did have to deal with their personal affairs and regrets. Foster explained that while the cave brought about various thoughts and emotions for both characters that there was one overlapping theme of “secrets” (21). The cave may have a large variety of meanings and may bring about different feelings, but in the end the cave represented secrets hidden in the walls. The time spent in the cave uncovered the secrets and both characters were able to have a separate and unique experiences. The experiences they had were similar to that of reading, “every work is unique” (21). Because each person brings their personal beliefs and background certain elements will stick out more or less to each reader. This was true in Adela’s experience, she was forced to deal with similar, but not the same issues because the “nothingness” that terrified Aziz did not have as much of an impact on Adela (20). Both characters had individualized experiences because of previous experiences, and core identifiers that define who they are as an individual. 

Foster brings up that the meaning that one gets out of a reading is combination of, “an individual history to our reading and a mix of previous readings” (21). One’s interpretation of symbols could be completely different based on many different factors as Foster defines like ethnicity and religious upbringing. These core identifiers are what give humans meaning and understanding to symbols. The author acknowledges that what most people would argue are the best works are those that leave room “for a considerable rand of possible interpretations (23). These well respected authors give symbols a meaning for themselves but they don’t implicitly state it, leaving the reader room to bring their core identifiers and previous experiences with the symbol to the table. Because Foster does not give clear meaning to the symbols it leaves more room for interpretation for the reader. This opportunity for the reader to bring in personal experiences is exactly why Foster uses the cave as the symbol for his message. Using the cave, Foster is able to show the reader why symbols are significant in everyone’s lives. 

Symbols are significant in everyone’s life. While each person may have different meanings behind their symbols, that is what makes the symbols individualized and interesting. The author gave an example of two characters in dealing with the same object and described how unique each person’s experience was. Foster also described how symbols in writing could lead to different understandings of the same work. Leaving the reader an opportunity for various understandings broadens the range of readers and makes the work unique and individualized. Each person has an individualized meaning to symbols, and that makes them more or less important to an individual. 
