Yes, exactly. That's what one of Ruby Payne's colleagues told me. You can't save anything because someone will steal whatever you try to save. For a lot of people, this was a common experience growing up.
I like John Updike's response that some authors clearly do write symbolism into their works. T.S. Eliot comes to mind immediately. I recently read "The Wasteland" for the first time and came away asking, "Why is this guy considered a genius?"
But there's no shame in writing symbolically. Authors should just be self-aware about it.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/snake-island-ilha-de-queimada-grande
Or the suburbs of Nashville. Really, a lot of super-villainy can be done through telecommuting.
Anyway, I don't have the prerequisite building material.
UPDATE: My wife is emphatically firm that I am not allowed to grow my own chest cat.
But there's no shame in writing symbolically. Authors should just be self-aware about it.