Why do writers use symbols in their work?

Archetypes reflect the collective conscious or unconscious human experience. They transcend time and place because archetypes are universal. Some of common archetypal symbols include the sun, the stars, water, numbers, colors, and the garden. Experiences can be love, a journey, or death. Archetypes can also be characters such as the hero, the wanderer, the monster, the scapegoat, the devil, the temptress, and the unfaithful wife.

So, reflect on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Where else have you seen a monster, who wanders the world in search of acceptance and love? Answers can be found in both modern texts, as well as in pieces of literature thousands of years old.