Ambiguity

Have you ever read a book that hints at something but doesn't come out and say it?  Or what about a book that says something that could mean two different things?  There is also the instance where a single word, such as "dead," could be literal or figurative.  Sometimes authors don't make it clear which meaning is correct.

I will admit that I'm not fond of writers who do that.  I want to know what they were thinking and meaning.  I usually resolve this by picking what I believe they meant, and hoping and assuming I am right.

Now that I am on the other side of things, I'm beginning to view it differently.  I see an alternative viewpoint.  Sometimes there really is no one "correct" meaning.  I admit that I have intentionally left some things ambiguous.  I leave the interpretation up to the reader.  The reader, being an intelligent creature, can decide for him or herself which viewpoint is most comfortable and logical (to him or her).  I will not compel someone to go out of their comfort zone for an interpretation, if they don't want to.  So, multiple meanings are "correct."  And I'm okay with that.

I may be the writer, but I don't have all of the answers either.