Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The Recurring Interruptions of William Goldman

The interruptions of the author/narrator represent literary freedom, and the author/reader's ability to bring whatever he or she has and thinks to the text itself. Goldman's interruption about Robert Browning, for example, has nothing at all to do with this story but happened to pop up in Goldman's mind when he mentioned Morganstern's previous book not having sold well. Goldman's interruptions also allow us to know what will happen before it happens. Because there are supposedly parts of the book that are not important enough to make the good parts cut, these interruptions demonstrate the necessity to view a text as something linear and malleable, rather than a static, stoic piece of work.

The Use of the Superior

Each of the main characters is the best at something: Inigo, steel; Fezzik, strength; Vizzini, wits; Buttercup, beauty; Humperdinck, hunting; Westley, surviving. Naturally, Westley's strength places him above every other man, since he is faced with death again and again and overcomes each threat in the threats own arena. Having all of the characters represent the beat of their field elevates the story to an epic status, of super-human people dueling with unbelievable skill. In another sense, these superior qualities make the characters' weaknesses and flaws even funnier and more endearing, as we see them juxtaposed with such greatness.