Metaphor & Figuration
Symbol
A thing, action, or image that carries meanings beyond its literal role. Its associations develop through the contexts in which it appears.
The green light at the end of Daisy's dock — Gatsby
Don't confuse it with Metaphor. Allegory fixes the correspondence; metaphor asserts it locally in one sentence. A symbol earns its meanings by recurrence.
Examples
In this story, the prisoner keeps a small key long after his release; whenever he faces a new choice, he turns it in his hand.
The recurring key carries the idea of freedom beyond its practical use as an object.
The rest of the family
Metaphor Simile Catachresis Metonymy Synecdoche Personification Prosopopoeia Pathetic Fallacy Transferred Epithet / Hypallage Metalepsis Allusion Mythopoesis