Technique
Symbol
From Greek symbolon: a token. Symbolist poets (Mallarmé, Yeats) elevated the symbol over direct statement; I.A. Richards distinguished symbol from sign in Principles of Literary Criticism (1924).
Definition
An object, image, person, or event that carries meaning beyond itself, representing a broader idea or value.
Example
The albatross in Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner — symbol of guilt, nature violated, and spiritual consequence.