allegory

A type of storytelling in which the characters and events stand for other ideas; in other words, there is a figurative meaning above and beyond the literal appearance of the story. Sometimes allegory is obvious; imagine a character named "Hope" who is attempting to escape an abusive family situation. Other times, the allegorical meaning is difficult to see without breaking down the elements of the story. Of course, not all stories are allegorical, so we need to be careful not to look for allegorical meanings when we should be more interested in the literal meaning. You can think of an allegory as an extended simile. Instead, of just one comparison, there is a whole string of comparisons that together tell a universal story through a particular situation.