Literary Term and Vocab Word

Symbolism is used when a writer uses an event, item or a character to stand for something else. Symbols can be characters, such as a character symbolizing good or evil. Objects can also be symbols, such as the scarlet letter. People can be symbols, such as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Authors use symbolism, a form of imagery, when they want to portray something to the reader without using the narrator. It is subtle and therefore much less obtrusive.

hackneyed: (adj.) used so often as to lack freshness or originality
SYNONYMS: commonplace, corny
ANTONYMS: new, fresh, novel