Have you ever watched the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland (mother of Liza Minnelli)? The movie is based on a 1900 novel written by L. Frank Baum. It just occurred to me that some Millennials may not be familiar with this piece of work, or know that it is actually an allegory of an important period in American history leading up to the Gilded Age.
Allegories seek to convey hidden messages or ulterior meanings — usually political or moral — under the guise of symbolic narrative. The message/meaning being conveyed is the tenor. The narrative — expressed by objects, words and images — is the vehicle. Allegories have been used in literature and theater since antiquity.