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Authority In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

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The true nature of man is revealed when faced with arduous challenges that test one’s character. Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, is set during world war two when a group of boys’ plane crashes onto an undocumented island with no adults. The story follows the journey of the band of misfits as they try to survive with the taunting pull to leave civilized behavior behind. As seen throughout the novel, Lord of the Flies, the evil side of man is challenged through the symbolism of the conch, mask, and glasses. Authority is what ultimately brings the boys together by the conch and breaks them apart. As a result of the crash, all of the passengers were flung in every direction on the island. A charismatic Ralph meets a chubby boy named Piggy, who gives him the idea to use the conch, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us—” (pg 20 Goulding). An object that has a spiral shell and may be used as a horn is called a conch. Goulding associates authority with the conch for it is how the boys assemble and a sense of comfort to the past. As time passes, some members like Jack forget about …show more content…

Piggy and Simon are the smartest of the crew and are the only ones who have rational ideas. Rescue is a controversial priority for the boys on the island that involves fire, “His specs use them as burning glasses” (pg 55 Goulding). The glasses are used to represent the intelligence and innocence on the island. Jack has an idea to use the glasses to start the fire for rescue. The intelligence through the glasses is how the boys are surviving on the island. Piggy is able to use the glasses to find fruit and start the fire. However, later in the story, Jack breaks the glasses to portray how the evil side of man is taking over. Once innocence and intelligence is gone the boys are completely savage. Piggy’s glasses are essential for their rescue and civilized

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