An allegory is a story in which the surface-level events are meant to be interpreted on a secondary level of meaning. The fable and the parable, though similar in many respects, are two different types of allegorical story. Johnson's story "Menagerie" is subtitled "a Child's Fable." Fables often include animal characters that exhibit human traits, and are usually meant to be interpreted as a moral lesson or commentary on human behavior. Most people are familiar with the ancient Aesop's fables, which include animal characters and usually end with a clearly stated moral to be derived from the story. "Menagerie, a Child's Fable" is an allegorical fable using animal characters to express a commentary on social struggles over freedom and oppression, racism and pluralism, democracy and fascism, and war and peace in the.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 728 words. This
study guide contains 16,915 words (approx. 56 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Menagerie, a Child's Fable Access Pass.
