SYMBOLISM IN THE SHORT STORIES OF ULUGBEK HAMDAM

This article examines the concepts of symbol and symbolism and analyzes the use of symbolism in the short stories of Ulugbek Hamdam, a prominent representative of contemporary Uzbek prose. Drawing on the writer’s stories “Tosh” (“The Stone”) and “Bir piyola suv” (“A Cup of Water”), it explores the meanings of literary symbols and their philosophical role in revealing the central ideas of a work. It also considers the influence of these symbols on the human psyche. The article argues that, in Ulugbek Hamdam’s creative work, symbolism is not merely a formal device of representation, but a fundamental mode of artistic thought through which the writer seeks to understand the world and human existence.