Symbolism

So, in English class, we were talking about symbols today. Water represents purification. Dove represents peace. Stuff like that. And some not so common stuff. Who knew that pink roses represented young love and yellow roses represented friendship? Well, anyways, that got me thinking, has an author ever written a story for the simple reason of telling a story? Does there always have to be some sort of deeper meaning or allegory? For instance, did George Orwell actually want to write a story about communism and Stalin and all that when he wrote Animal Farm? What if he simply wanted to write a story about a farm taken over by pigs?

I know it's a narrow way of thinking. I know the best stories have deeper meanings and are able to teach us something and reveal an insight into human existence. However, sometimes all I want is a story to entertain. That's ok sometimes isn't it?