Literary terms · AP English Literature, AP English Language, SAT Reading and Writing, ACT Reading
Ambiguity
Ambiguity: Language or situations that allow more than one reasonable interpretation, often deliberately.
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What it means
Ambiguity occurs when a word, line, ending or character's motive supports multiple readings. In literature, ambiguity is usually a feature: it reflects the complexity of experience and invites readers to hold more than one meaning at once.
Strong analysis acknowledges ambiguity and explains why the text keeps both readings open.
Example
A story ends with a character 'turning toward the door.' Whether she leaves or locks it is never said, leaving the reader to weigh both possibilities.
On the exam
Accounting for alternative interpretations is one of the listed ways to earn the sophistication point on AP Lit essays.
Lessons and practice questions
Related terms
- Literary complexityThe quality of a work that holds tensions, contradictions or multiple meanings in play.
- IronyA contrast between what is said and what is meant, what is expected and what happens, or what a character knows and what the audience knows.
- ThemeA central insight about life or human experience that a literary work develops, stated as a claim about a topic.