{"id":32444,"date":"2021-04-07T08:48:55","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T12:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=32444"},"modified":"2021-04-20T19:34:34","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T23:34:34","slug":"communal-meals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/","title":{"rendered":"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Why would an author choose to write about an act as mundane as eating? What do communal meals symbolize?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eating is boring. That&#8217;s why if an author chooses to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-write-a-scene-in-a-script\/\">write a scene<\/a> in which characters are eating, you better believe it is significant. Communal meals in literature can symbolize a number of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to find out what communal meals symbolize in literature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Shared Meals and Communions&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whenever literary characters share a communal meal together, it is an act of communion. The act of communion is an archetype in literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider writing a meal scene. It is very difficult, because eating is boring and food has been described a million ways before. So, if an author includes a meal scene in a literary work, there is almost always a compelling reason for doing so\u2014to symbolize a communion between characters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the word \u201ccommunion\u201d has religious connotations, it is important to realize that not all communion is a religious or holy experience. Rather, breaking bread together is a symbolic way of expressing, \u201cI am here with you because I like you and want to create a community.\u201d That is the kind of communion we are talking about.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Example: Think of scenes where soldiers share rations together as comrades or a little boy shares scraps of food with a stray dog. The reader gets a sense of loyalty and companionship.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, some meal scenes relay the opposite message. <strong>In these cases, the failed meal is a symbol of bad relationships or negative feelings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Example: Imagine a mafia don who brings his enemies together for a meal, only to have them killed. The assumption that one should be kind to his dinner guests is violated here, and the mafia don is presented as an evil character.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Example: James Joyce\u2019s \u201cThe Dead\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The story \u201cThe Dead\u201d<em> <\/em>by James Joyce is a great example of the full effect of a meal scene as communion. The story centers around a dinner party. At this party is a man named Gabriel Conroy, who thinks he is superior to all the other guests at the table. Over the course of the meal, there are many moments of tension that shock Gabriel\u2019s ego and show him that he is just one of the group. As Gabriel puts his ego in check, he is able to share a meal with his fellow guests and make a speech of gratitude at the end. The reader is part of Gabriel\u2019s evolution from self-made outsider to grateful sharer of the meal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>James Joyce\u2019s illustration of the meal itself mirrors the plot of the story. He puts great detail into bringing the meal to life for the reader. In this way, he asks the reader to pull up a chair and join the party closely. Joyce describes the food on the table as though describing armies in rank for battle. This conveys a sense of conflict to mimic the tensions in the conversation at the table.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why would an author choose to write about an act as mundane as eating? What do communal meals symbolize? Eating is boring. That&#8217;s why if an author chooses to write a scene in which characters are eating, you better believe it is significant. Communal meals in literature can symbolize a number of things. Keep reading to find out what communal meals symbolize in literature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":32465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,17,12],"tags":[264],"class_list":["post-32444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-food","category-relationships","tag-how-to-read-literature-like-a-professor","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why do authors choose to write about an act as mundane as eating? Because communal meals symbolize more than just providing sustenance.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why do authors choose to write about an act as mundane as eating? Because communal meals symbolize more than just providing sustenance.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-04-07T12:48:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-04-20T23:34:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1123\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\"},\"headline\":\"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-07T12:48:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-04-20T23:34:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/\"},\"wordCount\":513,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"How to Read Literature Like a Professor\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Communication\",\"Food\",\"Relationships\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/\",\"name\":\"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-07T12:48:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-04-20T23:34:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"Why do authors choose to write about an act as mundane as eating? Because communal meals symbolize more than just providing sustenance.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg\",\"width\":1123,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\",\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hannah Aster\"},\"description\":\"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing\"],\"jobTitle\":\"SEO Team Lead\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature - Shortform Books","description":"Why do authors choose to write about an act as mundane as eating? Because communal meals symbolize more than just providing sustenance.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature","og_description":"Why do authors choose to write about an act as mundane as eating? Because communal meals symbolize more than just providing sustenance.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-04-07T12:48:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-04-20T23:34:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1123,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hannah Aster","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hannah Aster","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/"},"author":{"name":"Hannah Aster","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f"},"headline":"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature","datePublished":"2021-04-07T12:48:55+00:00","dateModified":"2021-04-20T23:34:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/"},"wordCount":513,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg","keywords":["How to Read Literature Like a Professor"],"articleSection":["Communication","Food","Relationships"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/","name":"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg","datePublished":"2021-04-07T12:48:55+00:00","dateModified":"2021-04-20T23:34:34+00:00","description":"Why do authors choose to write about an act as mundane as eating? Because communal meals symbolize more than just providing sustenance.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg","width":1123,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/communal-meals\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Communal Meals Symbolize in Literature"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f","name":"Hannah Aster","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hannah Aster"},"description":"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.","knowsAbout":["Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing"],"jobTitle":"SEO Team Lead","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dinner-table.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32444"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32466,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32444\/revisions\/32466"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}