Examples Of Allusions In Lord Of The Flies

Sacrifice. Betrayal. Murder. Each took place on the dangerous island of young plane crash survivors who quickly turned into ruthless barbarians. The boys, however, were not this way in the beginning; but as they drifted from their faith, their morals were gradually forgotten. Abandoning one’s Christianity leads to a loss of morals, as seen in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies through the allusions to Jesus, imagery of regression, and personification of the sea.

Golding uses the characterization of Simon to allude to the life of Jesus Christ by contrasting his disposition with that of the other boys, highlighting their distance from their faith and its destructive effect. One example of such disparity is when "Simon knelt on all fours and

For example, when Roger was tempted to throw a rock at one of the younger boys he held back because his arm was “conditioned by a civilization” (Golding 62). This quote shows how earlier in the novel, the Christian-based morals of society held Roger back from throwing a rock at another boy. But Roger goes on to murder a different character, proving the nearness to his faith was the anchor keeping him from brutality. Jack’s character is an ideal example of this idea, because in the beginning of the book, although arrogant, he was friendly with Ralph and still ‘normal.’ However, throughout the book, we start to see a different side of him, shown through his unusually vigorous desire to hunt, his need for power, his idolatry, and his violent nature. Both his idolatry and violent nature are portrayed when Golding states, “Jack held up the head and jammed the soft throat down on the pointed end of the stick which pierced through into the mouth...’This head is for the Beast...”’ (137). The disturbing imagery of this citation expresses how the boys’ murderous nature roots back to their sacrifice to the beast. It shows how they were worshipping this idol that started to consume their lives. The devil worship is what took them off track from their morals, turning them to violence. Golding utilizes imagery to exhibit the boys’ abandonment