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Chapter 8 Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

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The Lord of the Flies is a novel full of powerful symbolism, as illustrated by the scene in chapter 8 where Simon encounters the “beast” as he roams free through the forest glade. When he sees it, the Lord of The Flies begins to speak. It taunts him and frightens him, saying, “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! . . . You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you?” This confirms Simon’s beliefs of the beast, being the darkness, greed, and savagery that exists within us; not another being. He realizes that the beast is not a physical entity, but a mere reflection of the boy’s most dark and powerful qualities that come to light as they spend more time on the island. He then finds out that the “beast”, is actually a dead …show more content…

The beast is represented through Simon’s blood, because he was the first to realize that the beast lives within us. The beast itself represents the fear within each individual at the island. The novel suggests that without fear, the beast would hold no power over the boys and that the more savagely the boys act, the more real the beast will seem to them. However, The Lord of the Flies is the most important and characteristic symbol of the novel. In its physical sense, The Lord of the Flies is a mutilated pig’s head impaled on a stake in the forest glade. It was set there by Jack as an offering to the beast. Simon confronts it and learns that evil lies within every human heart, it becomes a representation of power, greed, and evil. These symbols appear throughout the novel various times, as they are representative of the over all themes. For example, the themes found in “The Lord of the Flies” are one’s of “civilization vs. savagery”, “individual and society”, the “loss of innocence”, “inhumanity towards other humans”, the “nature of evil”, the “nature of tragedy”, and “fear”. The Lord of the Flies is connected with the loss of innocence because the creature represents attributes found in adults, not children, such as greed and immorality. It may also be connected to the theme, “nature of evil”, because the Lord of the Flies represented malice and corruption. The “nature of evil” simply states that all things carry wickedness within themselves, which is clearly stated by the lord himself. The beast supports the theme of “fear” because it insights panic and dismay amongst the boys. It demonstrates that no matter your good nature, intelligence, leadership skills, or strong will, there is always darkness that may arise in time of crisis. It shows that through the lack of order and organization, boys, especially at that young age, will channel the instincts of the

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