Fire In Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

Government organizations often use symbols to portray their power or military strength. Writers also use symbols to convey a message to the reader. In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbols to help readers track the loss of civility of the boys.

William Golding uses many symbols in his novel The Lord of the Flies to create interaction between his characters. Golding’s characters are stranded on an island and one of their first decisions is to build a fire that will be used for creating a smoke signal for passing ships. Golding uses fire to symbolize three things in The Lord of The Flies: hope, struggle, and destruction.

The boys basically set the whole island on fire to get Ralph out of hiding. Due to this outrage, it worked to their advantage because it brought them rescue. In this novel fire is an enemy and an ally. The fire has helped the boys through the hard times yet made some hard times. The fire shows that humans have paradoxical objects in life.

Little did he know about the sworn enemy he has just made. The first tact he thought of was to make a fire, as a signal to other stray boats of planes to rescue them. Ralph saw the fire as hope, since it died out when no one helped, and when it thrived when everyone worked together.

I remember when I was about ten, in the fifth grade, I came home one evening bored and started playing with paper. Paper that I eventually set on fire, that eventually set my trash can on fire, scared me to death, and got my butt whipped. In the book Black Boy by Richard Wright, Wright has many central messages and themes. One major motif was fire and its metaphors and uses in the book. Wright utilized fire to show his development educationally, religiously, and psychologically.

Ralph says, “The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make” (80). As an effort to show the boys their dire circumstances, he tries to convict them, including himself, of their ignorance. On the contrary, Jack Merridew counters Ralph’s authority with the proposition of thrill and amusement.

We must make a fire.’” (Golding 37) This quote explains the need for fire and that Ralph has a clear view of what the boys need to be rescued. The other boys do not understand the true importance of the fire since they remain unrealistic in their pursuit of following Jack. Jack is putting all of his focus towards killing a pig because he thinks on the scale of events, that is the more important task to complete, therefore Jack and the boys have lost focus.

The fire was also a symbol of civilization, that the boys would survive and get rescued. Fire is quite profound in what it reveals about humans. The fire was the object that the hunters didn’t have, it was desirable because it was limited. The fire brought out the innate greed that humans possess. The hunters weren’t content with asking for fire from Ralph, they were too prideful and savage to be civil in any manner, so they stole it.

In William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, the reader comprehends symbols that go throughout the book. These symbols are key factors which determine the importance of the novel. The symbols are a very important part of the literary content. In order to really follow along and understand the story, the reader must understand these symbols for what they mean as well as how they are used. Some of the symbols include the conch, the island itself, and fire.

Moreover, this shows that the boys recognize and believe in civilization. The boys know that building a fire is a priority and they said, “A fire! Make a fire!” , when they were thinking of ways to escape off the island (Golding 38). While thinking of a fire, the boys started displaying their savage side.

1. But a sign came down from the world of grown-ups . . . (95)

During the film Ralph commands Jack and the hunters to make sure the fire does not die. Jack, of course, does not follow Ralph’s command and leaves the fire to burn out (Lord of the Flies). What Jack does not know, or does not care to know, is that the fire was to attract nearby planes. Finding a way out of the island and being rescued is their number one priority. Letting the fire go out goes against Montesquieu’s concept of common good.

The first fire quickly gets out of control and ends up killing a kid. Without the fire they would have no way of being found, no way to cook, or stay warm at night. The fire become a point of savagery. The only way on the island to make fire was with Piggy 's glasses. When Jack 's tribe steal his glasses it shows their dominance.

In the novel Ralph had noticed a ship off the horizon; however, the ship was going the opposite direction and Ralph had no idea why. Jack had let the fire die down because he thought him and his boys hunting was more important. Jack replies to Ralph, “’ The fire’s only been out an hour or two. We can light up again-‘” (70). What Jack doesn’t know though is with him only caring what he wants to do it cost everyone else from being

Symbolism is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant. A lot of symbolism is used in this murderous and suspenseful book. Every person and object carry a symbol. The novel “Lord of The Flies” by William Golding is about a plane carrying a group of British boys ages 6 to 12, has crashed on a deserted tropical island. The boys struggle to survive without adult leadership on a deserted island.