Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies Essay

In William Golding’s “Lord Of The Flies” Novel, symbolism is a very important element of the book, Many symbols show how the boys on the island are slowly becoming savage and losing their civility.

Oftentimes authors will use symbolism through the characters in order to represent a larger encompassing theme. William Golding’s book Lord of the Flies is no exception to this pattern—as various characters in the book have such allegorical meanings. In the case of Jack, he could be said to represent the evilness in humanity, proven by three established concepts in the story: the true nature of his hunting tendencies, the progression of events that happen in his dancing rituals, and his interactions towards other symbolic figures. These three reasons, furthered by evidence shown throughout the novel, fit Jack into a role of symbolic evilness (add something here).

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is one of the most successfully acclaimed novels of all time. This novel takes place during an unnamed time of war. A plane evacuating a group of British schoolboys is shot down over the pacific and crashes on a deserted island. The pilot of the plane is killed, however many of the boys survive where they find they are alone without adult supervision. They try to govern themselves, but things go terribly wrong. One of the main themes this book has to offer that delve into the deeper meaning of the story is civilization vs. savagery.

The symbols in the Lord of the Flies all change meaning throughout the novel. As the boys change and develop, the symbols change with them. Some may become more positive or more negative and some may change meaning completely. Ralph, Piggy, and Jack all adjust to being stranded on the island differently and therefore react to and treat the objects on the island differently. With Jack’s development into savagery throughout the novel, his carelessness is evident in his lack of acknowledgement of symbols that are important to Ralph and Piggy who look at this experience more logically and optimistically. One symbol that changed dramatically throughout the novel is the fire. The fire in the Lord of the Flies is introduced as a symbol for hope, develops into destruction and is finalized as a representation of salvation.

The novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is a very iconic book in my opinion. This novel consists mostly of symbolism. Lord of the Flies talked about the relationship of teenage boys who survived a plane crash together. The boys are all on their own and struggling. They encounter many incidences that comply symbolism. A couple of the acts of symbolism are the beast the boys kept imagining, Piggy’s glasses, and the conch. The boys are all afraid of the beast, Piggy’s glasses demonstrate the fact that he saw everything more clear then the boys and how he started the fire. Lastly, the last of the most important symbolisms in the novel is the conch, showing the civilization and order.

Human nature, innocence, civilization, security, and sanity. Each is a common idea in both literature and everyday life but despite how regular these concepts may occur, they are more delicate than they appear. William Golding presents such ideas in the novel Lord of the Flies, which tells the tale of a group of English schoolboys whose plane has been shot down in the middle of an unnamed nuclear war and crashed on an uninhabited island. Upon crashing, the boys discover that they must govern themselves and work together towards survival ultimately causing their own war of adolescence on the once serene island, destroying both the land and the last shred of innocence and civilization left in the group. Percival Wemys Madison, the conch, the fire, the island, and the beast are all utilized throughout the entirety of the novel to symbolize the deeper meanings behind the actions and interactions of the boys.

confide in the conch and when the conch is held up, it is a sign of

Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, is about a group of young boys that get stranded on an island with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They are left to survive on their own, and chaos naturally ensues. Throughout the book, Golding presents objects that have hidden meanings that can become apparent if the reader only looks deeper. In Lord of the Flies, the fire and Piggy’s specs symbolize how pure emotions can and will be corrupted by human nature.

One of the most important symbols in Lord of the Flies is the conch shell. It represents law, order and power. The shell was the only way to gather everybody from their scattered places on the island. When the conch was blown the boys knew that the chief had something important to say. Once everyone was gathered at the meeting, the holder of the shell was the only person allowed to speak. In the novel, Golding compared the conch shell to its opposite; the pig’s head. The head contradicted the shell because it characterized chaos and terror. The shell also emphasized that power is fake. A flag is no more meaningful than the conch that Ralph had. It’s the meaning behind it and the meaning that people give it that makes it important. Rules are only powerful if everyone agrees on them. Ralph realized this once Jack left and took most of the group with him. If he blew the conch and no one came, the shell would lose all of its power. “If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued.” (Golding 124) When the conch breaks, so does Ralph’s power and Jack takes his spot as chief.

evil. William Golding poses this question in his realistic novel Lord of the Flies. Set on a

Throughout the novel, however, the value of the conch shell begins to disintegrate. The conch shell emulates structure among the boys, and without it, the boys begin to lose their rationality. In chapter five even Ralph begins to realize the value of the conch shell is in danger. He is worried if he tries to reassemble a disbanded meeting that the boys will ignore him and forget the importance the conch shell holds. As time on the island begins to pass the value of the once almighty conch loses more and more significance. When Ralph visited Jack’s newly established camp that's when the other boys completely disregarded any authority the conch shell once possessed. Finally, in chapter eleven when

The conch is a symbol in the novel and represents civilized authority and democracy. When the group of boys are stranded on the island, they choose Ralph as the

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a fictional story about a group of boys who crash land on an island with no adult supervision. The entire plot surrounds them as they try to survive on the island while maintaining an equal balance between the savagery of surviving and keeping a modern civil society. The boys eventually split into two different tribes one savagery and the other civil. This book is Allegorical story meaning that it conveys two different stories one literal and the other by using literary devices such as symbolism to convey a story more relevant to the world. The island, the conch and the fire are an important part of both the literal and allegorical stories.

Lord of the Flies has symbols throughout the story, each character brings a different point of view. Piggy, Ralph, and Jack take a leading role with all the boys, although they vote Ralph in charge both of the other boys take a leadership position. Goulding uses the boys to show the faults of mankind and the roots of all evil. Four symbols Goulding used in the novel were: Piggy’s glasses, the Conch Shell, The Beast, and Simon’s hiding place. Therefore, the symbols show the true character of the boys who are stranded on an island.

The novel the Lord of the Flies is about a group of young British school boys who are 6-14 years old by themself on a deserted island. The symbols of the Conch shell, Piggy’s Specs and the Fire had changed throughout the Lord of the Flies by William Golding.The story explains how the boys become savages by not having a structure society causing them to lose their humanity.