Fire In Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

According to Wikipedia, a symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow us to go beyond what is known or seen by creating links between concepts and experiences. They help create a better understanding of the plot, theme, or characters in literature. For example, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding consists of several symbols. The novel is about a group of British boys who are stranded on an island with nothing but their knowledge of human civilization. They try to create a society of their own, but it begins to subside as they descend into savagery. Symbols like the conch, the beast, or the painted masks help reveal their true nature. However, the most important symbol is the fire. Golding uses the fire to paradoxically represent savagery, destruction and most significantly hope of rescue. He describes the fire as technology that menaces destruction if it gets out of control, yet ironically it also symbolizes the boys’ connection to human civilization.

The conch is just a shell, But it does represents much more than that, the conch is power, order, respect and civility and when it's broken, It’s the loss of civilization. The conch is first found by Piggy and Ralph when they first get to the beach. Piggy who’s seen one before at someones house said “He used to blow it and then his mum would come. It’s ever so Valuable”(11). Then later Ralph used it to do the same thing by blowing in it to find all the boys on the island and to call meeting later. During one of the

In the beginning of the Lord of the Flies, the fire is used as a form of hope for rescue and survival. When the boys first arrive on the island, Ralph decides that rescue should be their main focus. The boys build a signal fire to attract any passing ships. He puts Jack and his hunters in charge of keeping the fire going. One day the hunters let the fire burn out. When a ship passes without seeing the fire, Ralph panics because they have lost a chance at being rescued. Golding describes the aftermath of the ship passing, “The fire was out, smokeless and dead; the watchers were gone. A pile of unused fuel lay ready” (Golding 68). When this incident occurs, Ralph

One of the main symbols throughout the book was the symbol of fire. Ralph, being the leader at this point, called a meeting to try to get through to them that the fire is how they will survive: "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?...Look at us! How many are we? And yet we can’t keep a fire going to make smoke. Don’t you understand? Can’t you see we ought to—ought to die before we let the fire out?" (31) Ralph is trying to explain to everyone that the fire is the key to survival. Also he is trying to convey that fire will save them and get them off the island. When Jack bought the idea up that they should make a fire all the boys were so excited and all they could think about is making a fire, even though Ralph was trying to call them to order: “‘A fire! Make a fire!’ At once half the boys were on their feet. Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten. "Come on! Follow me!" The space under the palm trees was full of noise and movement. Ralph was on his feet too, shouting for quiet, but no one heard him. All at once the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone—following Jack” (37). Jack was convincing everyone to go with him and they did, and stopped listening to Ralph. Also Jack is starting to become the

The duality of the fire’s purpose and its importance represents the boys’ shift from civilization to savagery. At first, the fire was a signal fire to get rescued. One of their main tasks after arriving on the island was to get rescued. After Ralph was elected chief, he suggested that they should create a signal fire to notify passing ships that there are people on this island; "There's another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire" (38). To create the fire, they used Piggy’s glasses: "His specs--use them as burning glasses!" (40). The boys’ connections with civilization were still strong as it hasn’t been a long time since their isolation from society.

In The Lord Of The Flies by William Golding symbolism plays an important role in his book. The stranded children go through many hardships during their time on the island without any adults. The true aspects of human nature are revealed through these innocent children. His novel is fraught with symbols that allow the reader to understand the deeper meaning of his literature. Specifically the symbols of Piggy’s glasses, the conch, and The Lord of the Flies are the most significant because each one shows a different slice of human nature’s cake.

In Lord of the Flies, the fire had symbolized the destruction and anger. Piggy had gotten frustrated because Jack and Ralph continued to ignore him even when he had the conch so he had sarcastically told them “you got your small fire all right.” (Goulding 44) What happened was that the small fire had spread and that was when Piggy had snapped. The fire symbolized how Piggy had burst after sometime just like the fire had. Chaos was another thing the fire had symbolized. Piggy was distressed because Ralph had ordered Piggy to collect all the names of the kids but when Ralph told them to, “make a fire, they all ran away.” (Goulding 46) It was a bit chaotic because when they were told an order they would do it but it was loud and the children were

The conch shell is the opening symbol in the novel and lasts roughly to the very end of the story. The conch is found by Ralph and Piggy, which they use to summon the boys together after the crash. “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us—" (Golding 16). The conch represents civilization and order on the island. In the start the conch is given to a boy

It is intended as a hope for rescue from the outside world. “We must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire” (38). This evidence highlights how Ralph was desperate to be rescued and he could have been foreshadowing the plot. Therefore, the fire becomes a symbol of hope and determination. At two points of the story, the fire goes out of control, one accidently, and the other was intentionally. This event changes the view of the fire to a more destructive symbol. The first time was in Chapter 2, when Piggy said “You got your small fire all right” sarcastically. Piggy was describing the big fire that went out of control and ruined most of the forest. At the end of the novel, Jack tries to lure Ralph out of the woods to kill him deliberately. “He saw a shelter burst into flames and the fire flapped at his right shoulder” (200). At this point in the story, the fire was used for evil and savagery intentions by Jack and the savages. Golding clearly emphasizes how the fire was first a sign of hope which gradually turned to represent destruction and devastation like the civilized

Now that Jack is the new leader, he became increasingly greedy and mean and exiled Ralph and Piggy from the rest of the group and left them with nothing, except the symbolic origin of fire, Piggy’s glasses. But instead of using fire to divide the group they really needed everyone to come together to create a controlled fire so they can get off the island. While Ralph and Piggy were away Jack tried to create a signal fire, but instead he created a bonfire that ended up burning a quarter of the island down. Piggy walks up to Jack and told him (because he was mad): “‘You got your small fire all right.’ ...the boys were falling still and silent, feeling the beginnings of awe at the power set free below them” (55). Jack knew they needed a fire, but in reality Jack did not understand how destructive a fire can be, and ended up killing one of the members of the group with the fire he started. With the group divided and life in danger, the symbolic meaning of fire is displayed in this quote because it demonstrates the order and or chaos that is on the island and how nearly all of the social structure on the island could be lost as quickly as the time it takes to snap Piggy’s glasses in half.

I did my mask on fire and smoke. The symbol of fire is used throughout the entire book. In the story fire and smoke signifies hope and savior, but also destruction and peril. I chose fire because throughout the story all Ralph thinks about is keeping the fire going and and trying to get saved and go home to civilization. Fire plays a key role in this story because without fire there would have been no chance of rescue and they would have been stranded on the island forever. Also, Jack wouldn't have been able to cook his pigs that he hunted and caught. Fire is first mentioned when Ralph decides that it is needed if they want to ever be rescued then again when Piggy suggests that it should be moved to the beach on which they are inhabiting. Fire

Lord of the Flies has more symbols than just the ones in this essay. Goulding shows the

Throughout Lord of the Flies, it’s noticed how the signal fire is used to show the deterioration of the boys’ hope in rescue, and overall loss of hope in themselves and each other. One of the main characters, Ralph, sees a ship near the island. He runs up to the top of the mountain where the fire sits and discovers there is no more smoke, so, “Ralph reached down inside him for the worst word he knew. ‘They let the bloody fire go out’” (Golding 68). In this scene, Ralph had sent another character, Jack, and some of his buddies to look after the fire for a while. What happens is Jack and his friends run down the mountain to go hunting and they forget about their duty of watching the fire. As Ralph realizes that the boys do

One symbol that is significant to the novel is the conch shell. Ralph and Piggy find this shell at the beginning of the book, and they use it to call the other boys (Golding 14). The shell represents

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, three significant symbols throughout the novel include the conch shell, the beast, and the Lord of the Flies. These symbols not only aided in the development of the characters but also in their rescue. By the time the boys are rescued the meaning of each symbol has either been diverted or given a new interpretation.