Nicole Hero
Mrs. Davis
Cultural Foundations
23 December 2015
Symbolism in Lord of the Flies In the adventurous novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, symbolism is used throughout the whole book. A group of boys from Britain were on a plane that was shot down over a deserted island. Soon after leaders were elected, Ralph is in charge and Jack is in charge of the hunters. The conch, Piggy’s glasses and the fire all mean so much in this book. Without them, surviving would not be the same to the boys. In the novel Lord of the Flies symbolism is used to show order, intelligence, and rescue as shown in the conch, Piggy’s glasses, and the fire. The very first symbol that Golding made noticeable was the conch shell. The conch was found by Ralph
Symbolism of the Conch in Lord of the Flies by William Golding represents civilization. The novel Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys from England who have been stranded on an island after an airplane crash. They are expected to fend for themselves and are slowly reverting back to their primal savage ways. The group is quickly split into two a savage side and a rational, civilized side. Throughout the novel a key symbol was the conch.
Golding says “The boys broke into shrill, exciting cheering” (41) in the beginning of the novel, then at the end of the novel says, “A great clamor rose among the savages” (164). William Golding who wrote The Lord of the Flies changes his word choice from “boys” to “savages” to emphasize the fact that the boys change into savage creatures. Three symbols represent civilization and change into chaos over the course of the novel. The three symbols representing change are Piggy’s glasses, The fire, and the conch. These figures demonstrate the important theme that the calm civilization will soon break out into disorder.
Literary Analyses of the Lord of the Flies The Lord of the Flies demonstrates a wide variety of symbolism; from Christ to Satan the children are portrayed in an abstract manner to represent these religious beings, as well as a symbol of great strife for power. Two of the main symbolic devices are used in the form of a mystical Conch and a cumbersome Sow’s head perched atop a stake; however these symbols represent very different ideas. Next the Lord of the Flies demonstrates the burden and struggle of power in multiple ways. William Golding included within this novel the power of symbolism, using inanimate objects, characters, or even landmasses to represent ideals derived from basic human morals and Christian religion that has a major influence
Power on the island The symbolism in William Golding Lord of the Flies focuses on a group of young British boys who are lost on an island after their plane crash lands. During the novel the author uses literary devices to help reveal the theme of power. The attack on Ralph's group in chapter 10 shows how power has had an impact between the boys through symbolism and foreshadowing. There are many important objects and people who play a role during this war.
William Golding was born September 19, 1911. He was mainly a novelist but his body of work also includes poetry, plays, essays, and short stories. Golding is from England, and the characters in his novel are British. His time in World War II and the Royal Navy gave him the impression that man produces evil. The outcome of his experiences in the war gave him the inspiration for his novel Lord of the Flies, which is full of symbolism and allows Golding to continue on with future work expressing internal struggle and good and evil.
In the novel lord of the flies the author made it obvious for the reader to see that there is a lot of social civilization going on. There is not an adult with them during their time and no one to really help guide the boys, therefore they need to vote and select a leader. Yet the young kids are out of their mind and have no idea who or what they need in a leader. They tried to get someone to maintain control and be in charge and they hope they call the right shots. The obvious choice was Ralph because he had something that Jack did not have and that will win the people over to Ralphs side.
Everyone will face evil at some point in their lives, but the way the evil is embraced or deflected will differ among every man. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, symbolism is used to communicate the theme of Understanding the Inhumanity/Inherent Evil of Man as represented through the double ended spear, the fire, and the Lord of the Flies. The spear represents the evil inside of humankind and the perception that killing and hurting each other out of anger is acceptable. Fire symbolizes the evil act of stealing to achieve a human wants. Lastly, the Lord of the Flies symbolizes the Inherent Evil of Man through demonstrating that a boy understood that the evil is within them instead of around them, and is not something that could be killed
In my project, I depicted the symbolism of Jack and the pig in William Golding’s Lord Of The Flies. In the beginning, Jack names himself a hunter; this illustrates the savage side of human nature. As the novel continues, and the desire to hunt and kill increases, and Jack finds himself not only a hunter but also feeling like he is being hunted. This change represents how fear overpowers hope and fuels the dominance of savagery. In the end of the novel, Jack turns from hunting pigs to hunting Ralph.
In the novel Lord of The Flies by William Golding, symbolism was a frequent and helpful tool used by the author. Symbols are a huge part of the novel in helping the reader understand the plot, conflict, and characters in a deeper way. Physical items such as the conch, Piggy’s specs, and the fire hold deeper meaning and show more insight into the author’s purpose and theme. The conch was introduced at the very beginning of the novel.
There are multiple symbols within Lord of the Flies, however, the fourth chapter mainly focuses on Piggy’s spectacles, fire, painted faces, and long hair. It is Piggy’s glasses and their reflection that causes the boys to first create a fire on top of the mountain. Without them, the boys may still remain in the dark before finding an alternative way to spark a flame. This makes the spectacles a key survival tool. Therefore, the spectacles represent the progression of technology on the island and the ability to mold nature to man’s will.
Lord of the Flies remains Golding’s most accredited piece of work. It is an apparently simple but densely layered novel that has been categorized as fiction, fable, a myth, and a tale. Generous use of symbolism in Golding’s work is what distinguishes him with other authors of the same genre. For example, the conch shell, that represents a vulnerable hold of authority which was finally shattered to pieces with Piggy’s death. Secondly, for the other boys, Piggy’s eyeglasses represented the lack of intelligence which was later defeated by superstition and savagery.
This is an example of how the conch symbolizes the rules within the boys society because the conch is what tells when the boys when they can talk. The rules created by the conch is what led to a lot of the boys disagreements which slowly drove them to become¨beasts¨. Overall the conch is the most symbolic piece in Lord of the Flies because it symbolizes the boys rules, their civilization, and power over the boys. This is important to the theme of the story because the conch helps the boys realize that they are the beast all along. The conch helps the boys to notice this because when it breaks they realize it was controlling them all along and making them the
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses items and people to symbolize many different things. These symbolic things include Piggy’s glasses, Simon’s epilepsy, the Lord of the Flies, and arguably the most important symbol, the conch shell. The conch shell was first found in the water by Piggy, who then comes up with the idea of using the conch as a blow horn to call for meetings. Throughout Lord of the Flies, the conch shell becomes not only associated with Ralph and his leadership, but with Piggy and his intuitive and wise ideas and Jack and his dictator-like, irresponsible authority. The conch shell, representing law and order, assisted in the election of Ralph as chief and ultimately determines the future of the island.
William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, shows an allegorical take on the classic coming-of-age story. Throughout the book, the boys' newfound freedom on the island turns into a “dystopian-esque” society, where their duties get forgotten in place of childish antics. On the surface, the island seems to be a paradise for the boys. From the warm water in the protected reef, the lush forest, and the fruit growing on the trees, they assume their time on the island will be like a vacation. However, looking deeper into the text, it is clear that the author is showing the imminent danger that the island poses.
Lord of the Allegory The novel Lord of the Flies is described as an allegory novel (Carter). An allegory is a text which contains many things which are symbols and have a deeper meaning. Some examples of items in the novel that represent a deeper meaning include the conch shell which represents law and order, the beast which represents the savage instinct within humans and the pig hunts which represent the need for power.