From Tom and Jerry to Lady and the Tramp, children’s stories are brimming with animals that possess human qualities. They’re everywhere we go, embedding themselves into each child’s mental landscape and teaching them important life lessons, empathy, and the way a satisfying story ought to go.
But did you know that there exists a literary device that is the complete opposite of anthropomorphism?
Yes, we’re talking about humans and objects possessing animal qualities rather than the other way around.
It sounds strange, I know. But hear me out.
Here’s why zoomorphism can be an incredibly useful way to describe your characters, create powerful metaphors, and highlight the central themes of your story.
Zoomorphism in Fiction Writing: What Is It?
While anthropomorphism is a literary device that ascribes human behavior to animals or inanimate objects (think Donkey or Gingerbread Man from Shrek), zoomorphism flips this idea on its head and assigns animal qualities to humans.
Of course, reading about a hero who barks at everyone is comical at best and distasteful at worst, which means that zoomorphism is an art of subtleties. It exists in the realm of metaphors, allusions, and striking mental images rather than reality-based descriptions.
And if you know how to walk the fine line, you can use zoomorphism to deliver a powerful message through nothing but pure imagination.
How to Harness the Power of Zoomorphism in Your Writing
Like it or not, humans have more in common with animals than we’d dare admit. From basic survival instincts to falling prey to peer pressure out of the fear of exile, we do sometimes succumb to our biological programming – and zoomorphism is an excellent way to highlight this in literature.
For example, you can use it to:
- Set the scene in a dystopian setting where humans have to live a more animalistic, predatory way of life
- Describe a character in more detail (by comparing them to a specific animal, for instance) and provide them with another layer of depth
- Create an impactful mental image of a certain conflict between two characters
- Explore themes of change and transition (by linking a situation within the story to the cycle of life)
- Add extra depth to the story’s atmosphere and tone
- Represent human social interactions, motivations, and desires by linking them to animal behaviors (such as herding, hunting, and performing mating rituals)
- Add a level of absurdity or humor
- Make your text more symbolic and poetic
- Criticize human behavior through metaphors and allegories (rather than directly)
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Zoomorphism in Modern Literature: 3 Examples
“Okay, but how can I use zoomorphism in practice? I need concrete examples!” you might be thinking.
Worry not – I’ve got you.
Example 1: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
“Alby walked over to him and sat down cross-legged; the crowd of boys followed and packed in behind. Heads popped up here and there, kids leaning in every direction to get a better look.”
- The use of the word “packed” here stresses the animalistic nature of gathering in a crowd and fighting for access to a resource or a piece of information.
“There were several barks of laughter.”
- In the same scene, the boys are contemplating hurting another human being. “Barks of laughter” is used as a metaphor for a pack of dogs, and what’s more, it also adds a sinister quality to the laughter itself, making the reader aware of the overall mood of the scene.
“’Would you shut it?”’ he hissed at Nick.”
- Hissing, a sound associated with snakes, helps describe the character’s feelings and the tone of his voice, thereby adding an extra dimension to the dialogue.
Example 2: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
“But terror wasn’t the only thing I felt for him. Revulsion, certainly, disgust as I saw him snort and huff and paw the ground in anticipation of his squirming feast – but under it all was a seam of raw pity, so painful it would make me gasp sometimes, my eyes brimming with pain as he shrieked for more blood, more suffering. It was not his fault, I thought fiercely, he did not choose to be this way. He was Poseidon’s cruel joke, a humiliation meant to degrade a man who’d never even deigned to set eyes upon the beast.”
- Greek mythology is filled with zoomorphism at its most basic level: assigning true animal qualities to humans, thus transforming them into monsters. This is most obvious in the case of the Minotaur, whose behavior is described in the scene above.
Example 3: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
“The charnel pit was full, but she did not need to dig too deeply. She could track the progression of starvation backward through the layers. They had eaten deer and they had eaten cattle. When the cattle ran out and the deer were gone, they ate the horses, and when the horses were gone, they ate the dogs. When the dogs were gone, they ate each other. It was the dogs she wanted. Perhaps she might have built a man out of bones, but she had no great love of men any longer. Dogs, though … dogs were always true.”
- This example is a very subtle blend of zoomorphism (describing people as insatiable, animalistic beings led by their primal instincts) and anthropomorphism (assigning dogs the qualities of reliability, loyalty, kindness, and authenticity). This way, Kingfisher flips our common conceptions of humans as reasonable and animals as primal through the art of imagery.
Conclusion
Zoomorphism is a very imaginative way to add more substance and symbolism to your writing. However, do keep in mind that this literary device often requires a subtle and refined approach.
And if you need any help strengthening your ideas, tightening your metaphors, and polishing your writing style, don’t hesitate to reach out to FirstEditing.
