Faux Symbolism/Quotes

The rats symbolize obviousness!

—Ralph Wiggum

Well, the guinea pigs play a central role in the metaphor for David's life as an albino, because he kills all the guinea pigs with his fists.

Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.

—Oscar Wilde

Dora: Oh, there's TONS of deep meaning there. The pinup girls represent your feminine side, and the dinosaurs represent the oppressive, male-dominated society you were raised in. The wizard and the robot represent the struggle between superstition and technology.
Marten: And the bomber dropping kittens?

Dora: I like kittens.

—Questionable Content

Kane says it's symbolic and important, but I'm never certain whether he's serious or spinning nonsense to be mystifying.

—LEGION, Tiberium Wars

Not everything is a metaphor!

—Candace, Phineas and Ferb

Stan: More and more of us are against this book every day! The author is cruel and offensive! And for these reasons, we demand this book be banned from all schools, stores, and libraries! This book is nothing but smut and vulgarity purely for the sake of smut and vulgarity!
Assemblyman 1: That's just because you're too young to understand the underlying themes.
Cartman: There are no underlying themes! We know that for a fact!
Assemblyman 2: You just fail to understand what the author meant.
Kyle:The author meant to be as gross as possible because it was funny!
Assemblyman 3: No, no no, that's such a simplistic view.
Stan: Goddamnit there is no deeper meaning in this book! Read it again!
Assemblywoman 1: Oh, so you're suggesting that the author just arbitrarily made fun of Sarah Jessica Parker for no reason??
Kyle: Yes!
Assemblywoman 1: But what would be the point?
Cartman: There is no point! It's just because Sarah Jessica Parker is fuckin' ugly!
Assemblywoman 2: No writer would take the time to make fun of Sarah Jessica Parker just because they think she's ugly.
Stan, Kyle, Cartman: Yes they would!
Assemblywoman 2: It is because Miss Jessica Parker is a metaphor in the book for oppression felt by the lower class.
Stan: What?? Dude, that is not in the book at all!
Assemblyman 2: Boys, this book is an important look at how liberals are hurting this country.
Stan: What?
Assemblywoman 2: Wait, Scrotie McBoogerballs is the most conservative-hating liberal in literature!
Assemblyman 2: What book did you read?!
Stan: There's nothing about liberals or conservatives!

Assemblyman 4: Ohohh yeah, then why did Sarah Jessica Parker's buttcheese end up in Scrotie's milkshake?

—The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs, South Park

Goddammit, will you people stop reading into stuff that isn't there!!

—Stan Marsh, South Park

Really? You're throwing in a cloth with Jesus' face on it? I can just see Tarsem dancing in the background shouting "Ask me what it means! Ask me what it means!"

—The Nostalgia Critic, The Cell

SYMBOLISM! OMFGBRILLIANT!!!

—Film Brain, repeatedly

"Lazarus Heart was a vivid nightmare that I wrote down and then fashioned into a song. A learned friend of mine informs me that it is the archetypical dream of the fisher king...can't I do anything original?"

—Sting, liner notes to Nothing Like the Sun

So now the director has shown these two images, of Muslim and Hindu origin respectively, it's likely that he's establishing the core belief system of the film as being derived from the quasi-Orientalist teachings of early New Age philosophy contemporary to this time. Or it just looks cool.

—Oancitizen, on the eye imagery in Zardoz