"The Raven"

Symbolism is “something that represents something else, either by association or by resemblance. It can be a material object or a written sign used to represent something invisible.” (http://www.worsleyschool.net/socialarts/symbolism/page.html)

In the poem The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe we see a clear example of symbolism. In this case the symbol is the raven. Before we know that, we know that the narrator remembers someone named Lenore.
“Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—”

Then we know one night the raven lands above his chamber door. From this we can infer that the raven symbolizes Lenore. We can’t be sure of why Lenore left, she may have just gone or she may be dead. Thinking about the color of the raven, black I think Lenore died, so the raven has come to tell the narrator that Lenore has left and will not come back.