In the past, symbolism in poetry has been an inspiration to write and has sometimes been the sole purpose of a poem: expressing a hidden meaning through an allegory which is a "literary, dramatic, or pictorial device in which characters and events stand for abstract ideas, principles, or forces, so that the literal sense has or suggests a parallel, deeper symbolic sense". This sort of device can be found in Christina Rossetti's poem Uphill, which has an outstanding example. The allegory itself is built over the course of the entire poem rather than just having it appear within two lines or so. Through each stanza one can easily find the symbolism appear between the two speakers: the inquirer and the one answering the questions. To find the meaning in the poem accurately and to discover whom the two speakers are, one has to go through the piece stanza by stanza.
             The first stanza holds the first instance of an ongoing conversation between two speakers; one asking various questions, and the other answering them with reassuring tone and also some warning. The first question is, "Does the road wind uphill all the way?" is answered by "Yes, to the very end." This obviously could mean anything, but a look at the second question reveals a pattern in questioning that leads to the point of the poem. "Will the day's journey take the whole long day?" is answered by "From morn to night, my friend". Here in the second question we see that the Answerer considers the Questioner a friend of sorts and is giving him an overview of what is to come in his distant and near future. From these two questions we also find that the Questioner is asking about aspects of living and the journey of life. The first question "Does the road wind up hill all the way?" can also mean "is the harshness of life a constant battle?" which is answered with a "Yes, to the v!
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