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Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Decent Essays

Symbolism is something many authors use throughout books in order to create a deeper meaning. There are many symbols present in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, one of them being Piggy’s glasses. Piggy’s glasses are used throughout the book to symbolize many different ideas, and throughout the boys time on the island they are used for many different purposes. Golding uses these spectacles to symbolize Piggy’s intelligence and adult-like behavior. They also are used to symbolize the boys connection to society, and eventually their turn towards savagery. As the boys slowly become more wild, the glasses are treated differently, and used in ways they were not meant to be. This shows how the boys change during their time of being stranded. Throughout the novel William Golding uses Piggy's glasses symbolize intelligence and the boys' connection to civilization during their life on the island. First, Golding uses Piggy’s glasses to symbolize Piggy’s intelligence, something many of the other boys lack. At the beginning of the novel, the boys look for any sign of authority and adulthood, and Piggy exhibits this. The boys understand Piggy’s strong ability to think and even sometimes question their own abilities. “‘I can’t think’” (78), Ralph reflects as he ponders his existence and sanity. For most of their time on the island, the boys thought of power as physical strength, but at this point, Ralph is realizing that mental strength is just as important. As Ralph and

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