Piggy Fire Symbolism

The fire is a symbol for hope to be rescued and it also symbolizes destruction. The fire is a signal for the ships to let them know that there is someone stuck/living on this island. If the fire goes out, the hopes of the people stuck would be lost too.

In contrast, Golding uses the color black to portray the leader of the choir boys, Jack, one of the other main characters, as an image of darkness. “Their bodies, from throat to ankle, were hidden by black cloaks which bore a long silver cross on the left breast and each neck was finished off with a hambone frill” (Golding, p 16). This contrast between Ralph and Jack, or light and dark, civilization and savagery, acts as a foreshadowing of the conflicts between the two of them. Another image for light is the signal fire. The boys decided that it was necessary to make a fire to increase their chances of being rescued. “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” (Golding p 38). The signal fire, the light, symbolizes hope and their connection to

What do symbols illustrate in novels? In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, symbols are illustrated through people, objects, and colors. In this novel, a group of children are faced with the difficulty of living isolated from society after their plane crashes on a deserted island. With no formal civilization, parents, or rules, the kids have the freedom to do as they choose. Throughout the novel, the boys find and use objects on the island that symbolize something of different importance. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses different objects to symbolize the difference between civilization and savagery.

The Hearth and The Salamander, the title of the first chapter, is another symbol. The hearth which provides warmth and comfort and the salamander which is believed to live in fire and not get burned contradict each other. One symbol shows the bad side of fire and the other shows the good side. The salamander was also a symbol on his firefighter’s badge: “He stood in the hall of his house putting on his badge with the orange salamander burning across it.” (19) It was also on the fire trucks he used to make the fires, “They sat there looking out the front of the great Salamander as they turned a corner and went silently on.” (40) Both of these sentences show that the fireman are proud of what the salamander represents, whether it means the same thing or something different, it was important to them.

Finally, Fire can represent hope. Fire creates smoke, a very visual symbol for either rescue or panic. In the case of LOTF, the first is true. With the smoke that comes from the fire, the boys have a small chance of signaling a passing ship and finding their way back home. When the Naval officer comes to rescue the boys, he notices them because of the smoke that has now engulfed the island, “We saw your smoke.” With the hope of the rescue still burning as long as the fire stays lit, the boys have something to survive for. Without the fire, the boys are lost and alone in a hostile world, where it becomes kill or be killed.

The fire is a big part of the story with helping the boys survive on the island. The fire is the only thing that got the boys rescued off the island. Ironically at the end of the book it’s the fire that Ralph just happened to light as Jack was hunting him that caught the attention of the passing ships. Ralph tried to keep the fire lit as often as possible in case any ships or planes were to see it. The previous times that has happened the fire has always been out. The boys also use the fire as a sense of comfort. Not only does it serve a purpose for keeping them warm, out of the dark, and giving them something to cook with, but it also gives them a sense of hope. Ralph and Piggy are the main characters that are genuinely concerned with keeping the fire lit at all times so there is a possibility of being rescued. When they aren’t able to do it, it seems as though that’s when things start getting out of control with the boys and their internal and external conflict. Which brings me to the next point; the fire was also a symbol of destruction. It caused some boys to act savagely, and it caused multiple deaths. When Jack realized he needed the fire he stole it from Ralph; Ralph and Piggy confronted him which caused Piggy’s untimely death. In the beginning of the book, when they first lit the fire it burned a good portion of the island and it caused a littleun to die. Additionally, it played a role in the boys savage behavior when dancing around the fire after killing a pig and right before killing Simon with their bare hands.

The first example of fire is the fire that gives life; near the end of the book, Montag encounters a group of “rebels” who are surrounding a fire. After first seeing this fire, Montag thinks “It was not burning , it was warming” (Bradbury 139). Montag “had never thought in his life that it [fire] could give as well as take. Even the smell was different” (Bradbury 139). After watching fire burn and take away books, Montag finally sees that fire is giving rather than taking. During Montag’s revelations, he discovers that fire “gives as well as takes.” This is important because it shows that there is more to fire than burning and destroying. Instead it is

Fire symbolizes the government’s authority and ability to burn ideas and free thinking of an individual. The government has the authority over the people who are in a

Fire represents the control and censorship over the town and society. With the firemen starting fires it shows the control that they have over the citizens. It demonstrates the fact that as long as they’re the ones burning books and setting things on fire they are in charge, they are in control, and everyone is either “brainwashed” or scared of them.

Ultimately, the title of the book, the phoenix, the salamander, the liquid kerosene, and the color red are all part of an intricate conglomerate of symbols which all lead to fire. And fire is what moves Ray Bradbury’s novel along. For example, from the very first pages of the book, the readers can see the clear cut definition of fire in what Montag does for a living and what sweet Clarisse thinks. In fact, Clarisse tells Montag, “So many people are. Afraid of firemen, I mean. But you're just a man, after all…” (Bradbury, page 3). In stating so, she highlights how people are afraid of firemen because of the fear of fire, which means annihilation and loss. Yet, Clarisse reminds Montag of a gentle candle-light. Perhaps, fire also symbolizes the

Golding used a variety of symbols to show man’s essential nature throughout the story. Some important themes and motifs in the story were savagery, identity, and civilization. The spear was a symbol that represented savagery. Piggy’s glasses was a symbol represented identity. The conch was a symbol that represented civilization. All of these symbols played an important role in the plot of the story. Jack’s hunters used the spears for hunting pigs. The glasses were used to make fire for a signal and food. The conch was used to establish civilization in the beginning of the book. Golding utilizes symbolism to demonstrate man’s temptation to discard civilization.

When the fire is maintained, the boys want to be rescued. However, when the fire burns low or goes out it symbolizes how the boys have lost sight of their desire to be saved, and how they have accepted savagery into their lives. The signal fire also symbolizes the measurement of the strength of the civilized instinct and hope remaining on the island.

Symbols and characters play major roles in representing power in works of literature. Therefore, an author uses these ‘symbols of power’ to control the characters and the overall course of the work. In Lord of the Flies symbols are both used by the characters and stand on their own. Fire on the island is a dual blade and Lord of the Flies impedes on progression. While these two symbols stand on their own, the characters use and are used by them. Ralph leads the boys to advancement while Jack stands as his opposition, both using other symbols of power to assist them.

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.

In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding the stranded boys come into contact with some particular elements that represent an idea which are called symbols. These symbols include the beast which represents the fear of the unknown and the darkness of mankind. The second symbol is the signal fire which represents hope. The third symbol is the conch shell which represents order. Golding indicates that when man is taken out of civilization, they have a natural instinct is to become evil, darkness and barbaric and these symbols help to support his opinion.