Final answer:
An allegory is a narrative where elements such as characters and settings symbolize deeper moral, political, or social truths.
Step-by-step explanation:
The narrative in which characters, places, or things represent general qualities or abstract truths is known as an allegory. An allegory is a powerful literary device that extends beyond mere decoration or stylistic concern and serves to convey deeper meanings typically related to moral, political, or social truths. Renowned examples include Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", where elements within the narrative represent broader existential concepts, and Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", which, on the surface, tells the story of the Salem witch trials but is actually an examination and critique of McCarthyism.