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Allegory In Lord Of The Flies

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Lord of the Flies, an Allegorical Piece

In Literature, writers apply allegory to add various layers of significance to their works. Furthermore, allegory makes their stories and characters, intricate, so that they represent something greater than their literal standing. Provided that, how is Lord of the Flies, an allegory for humanity? As a matter of fact, several characters in the novel represent a larger aspect, and together, unite the idea of humanity on the Earth. Ralph epitomizes civilization. At the same time, Jack represents a self-destructive anarchy. Piggy illustrates rational thought, whereas Roger embodies sadism. Lastly, there is Simon, who exemplifies the spiritual side of man. There are many types of symbols that one uses in …show more content…

In a deeper sense, it is a figure of speech in which philosophical principles and ideas are portrayed in terms of events, figures, and characters. Allegory seems similar to symbolism. Even though allegory uses symbols, both are quite distinct. An allegory is a finished narrative which implicates numerous characters, and events that stand for a conceptual idea. On the other hand, symbol, is only an object that stands for another one, giving it a particular meaning. Lord of the Flies is an allegory, different from Ralph, who is only a symbol. The objective for allegory is to demonstrate a moral lesson, and also allows writers to put forth their moral and political perspectives. An exhaustive study of such a metaphorical piece of writing, can give one insight into the writer’s mind as how he observes the world. Lord of the Flies contain many symbols that depict the …show more content…

The final character, Simon, is a religious symbol. Simon exemplifies the spiritual side of man, for he is compassionate, peaceful, and in conformity with nature. On page 50, Simon is the only boy helping Ralph build the shelter, proving to be compassionate. His persona is akin to that of Jesus Christ. Like Jesus, others mock Simon as an “outsider” distinguishing his behavior as bizarre or “queer”. When Simon tells Ralph, “All the same. You’ll get back all right. I think so, anyway”, Ralph is confused and refers to him as “batty” (pg. 111). He is also the only one who hears the Lord of the Flies speak and is first to comprehend that the beast is within each of us. This act simulates Christ’s discussion with the devil during his forty days in the wilderness. The Lord of the Flies tells him, “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” (pg. 143). However, because of Simon’s uneasiness, he cannot articulate this understanding. On page 89, Simon attempts to tell the group that “Maybe it’s only us”, but no one understands what he means. Later, when Simon realizes the figure on the mountain is just “a dead man”, he is killed by Jack’s tribe, for they “leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore” (pg. 153). There are acclaimed parallels between Simon’s murder and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, but Simon’s epiphany is more of a debunking,

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