(sorry if I'm being silly, I'm a noob in all things arts and literature)
I was reading some stuff and realized that, when hope is the matter, the symbols are usually variations of these: nature awakening (flowers blooming, birds singing...), sunrise, sun coming from behind clouds, illuminated subject in a dark ambient.
As a mental exercise, I tried to remember/think of other images that are used or could be used to convey hope, but I can't think of any.
Have you ever written or read anything that uses other symbols to convey similar feelings as the images mentioned?
Other people have already added some great stuff :)
Juxtaposition is another way, such a candle staying lit in a very dark place, or a tree growing out of a rocky cliff, or a single flower in a field of ash.
Fragility is another way, often times it can be natural, such as protecting a child, but generally if you can get a reader invested in the wellbeing of something, and then handle the something well, you can inspire hope that the thing will be safe and unbroken. You could use an old artifact being returned to a village, for example