preview

Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies

Decent Essays

Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, tells the story of a group of English boys stranded on a deserted island after their plane is shot down during a war. Although the novel is purely fiction, its investigation into the idea of human evil as an external conflict can be assumed is at least partially based on Golding’s experience in WWII serving for the Royal Navy. The boys, free from the structures of society and civilization, begin to descend into a life of savagery. As the boys split into factions, some remain peaceful and try to maintain the order of their makeshift society, while others rebel and seek comfort in violence. In Lord of the Flies, Golding paints a portrait of the basic human struggle between the civilizing instinct, the impulse to obey rules, behave morally, and act according to the laws, and the savage instinct, the impulse to seek power over others, scorn all moral rules, and indulge in acts of violence. Lord of the Flies is a novel driven by a conflict of power, using symbols like a sow’s head and a conch shell to represent greater issues. The power of these two objects differ greatly. The conch shell represents civilization and order among the island. It represents all the good that is presented on the island. The shell, however, is more than just a symbol: it’s a vessel of political legitimacy and democratic power among the boys. Ralph’s conch led parliament represents a democratic government, while Jack’s tribalism represents an

Get Access