Allegory is a form of language or voice, if you will, which is used often in literature. It is also used quite a bit in religious text. You may have heard the term allegorical to describe something in a religious book which is just a symbol and which means something other than what has been written on the pages. Allegory, in short is a symbol of something. It is not to be taken literally, but
. figuratively. It is used mainly as a teaching tool to teach the higher meaning of something in a way that animates it for the reader.