allegory

1. The use of symbols which may be interpreted to reveal a hidden, broader message, usually a moral or political one, about real-world issues and occurrences; also, the interpretation of such symbols. (uncountable)
2. A picture, story, or other form of communication in which one or more characters, events, or places are used to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences. (countable, uncountable)
3. A character or thing which symbolically represents someone or something else; an emblem, a symbol. (countable, uncountable)
4. A category that retains some of the structure of the category of binary relations between sets, representing a high-level generalization of that category. (countable, uncountable)

Plural allegories