The Use of Symbolism in Golding's Lord of the Flies Essay

Similar to William Golding’s idea of mankind, William James, who was an American philosopher, had the idea that, “We are all ready to be savage in some cause. The difference between a good man and a bad one is the choice of the cause.” This idea transfers nicely to William Goldings’ book, Lord of the Flies, which follows British boys who have been stranded on a deserted island, and now must survive, using their surroundings, as well as their wit. However, it isn’t all smooth sailing for the boys, and eventually almost all of them become savage-like, and disconnected from the outside world. The conch, and the mask are both important symbols in the book, that demonstrate how the boys turn from innocent school-boys to unforgiving beasts, capable of evil.

*hook* A symbol is defined as a literary device where an object, person, or situation has a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story. Throughout the novel, author William Golding includes symbolism that hints at irony, foreshadowing, and a variety of themes. These symbols contribute to the depth and meaning of the story, allowing the characters to act under their influence. In Lord of the Flies, there is a numerous amount of symbols, such as the signal fire, the conch, and the ritual.

In Lord of the Flies, several symbols are used to illustrate important ideas that are crucial to the plot and meaning of the book. One of these symbols is the conch: this rare shell is not only a precious and expensive in the world of merchandise; it also holds a dark and mysterious power over a group of English boys, lost on an island with no adults, clues, or means of escape. The boys set up a civilization and try to live in the society they have set up. This system works for a while, aided by the power of the conch. However, as the story advances, the civilized way of life that the boys have set up starts falling apart, and savagery starts luring certain boys outside of the safe and rational walls of

In the book Lord of Flies, William Golding uses the symbol the conch to represent society. The conch is used to call meetings and whoever holds the conch has the power to speak. The conch is the first item the boys find on the island that they would faithfully devote to.The conch is used to keep the boys organized.

In the novel, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, symbolism is a critical part of the novel because it provides an in depth meaning to the situation. Golding used symbolism to show how humans react when taken out of civilization. The conch, the glasses, and the fire provided a better understanding of the novel and the complexity of surviving. When the boys were lost on the island, the objects used provided survival and symbolized concepts that helped the reader had better understand the theme of civilization and savagery.

Have you ever been on a beach and seen a conch shell and wondered if someone in time used this for civilization? Or even to show leadership? Well if you haven’t, then for sure you will be amazed! In the novel Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding specifically focuses on how a group of children ends up on an unknown island without rules and order in which they become savages and nearly act similarly to animals in one way or another. One symbol in this novel is the conch shell. The conch shell in Lord of the Flies represents leadership and civilization, in which allows Ralph, the leader of the group, to call meetings to order and gives the chance for others to speak; however, it becomes worthless and loses its importance as the story progresses and is shattered at the end, showing how without respect and authority things can lead to savagery.

In his classic novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses many elements of symbolism to help the readers gain a greater understanding of his message. Symbolism can be anything, a person, place, or thing, used to portray something beyond its self. It is used to represent or foreshadow the conclusion of the story. As one reads this novel, he or she will begin to recognize the way basic civilization is slowly stripped away from the boys as conflict between civilization and savagery arises.

Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is a novel describing the struggle of a group of English school boys suddenly stranded on a secluded island without any authoritative figure. When Ralph, the elected leader, discovers a conch shell, it is decided that this shell will be blown to summon the boys to a meeting. Because this reminds them of their past life of structure and rules, the conch becomes symbolic of home. The conch’s power evolves into a holy indication of the significance of the frameworks of a society with adults. Seemingly worthless at first glance, it is the visual representation of the deterioration of the boys’ humanity. The conch’s authority is extensively known upon the island causing it to be sought after. As time progresses, the conch’s abilities are understood until its destruction.

In William Golding's book “Lord of the Flies” he uses a lot of symbolism. The entire book is something related to the real world, as the book sets at the time when World War II was going on and this book is on how there these kids are on an island alone during World War II . A big symbol used throughout the book is the conch.

In Chapter Two, Golding introduces more symbols that will recur throughout the novel and which highlight important developments in the dramatic action. The tropical island, with its bountiful food, symbolizes paradise. It is like a Garden of Eden in which the boys can try to recreate the perfect society. The conch shell symbolizes authority and civil discussion. “By the time Ralph finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded.” It's used to call meetings and it used as a microphone that grants people to speak. “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” The boys' fears changes into the shape of the Beastie; it becomes the tally of the things that frighten them about the island: the unknown, the

This literary device not only adds metaphorical levels to Golding’s writing, but resonates the theme in a much more powerful way. The reader sees, in a particular example, the evolution of the power of the conch shell found on the beach in the preliminary pages of the novel. In the beginning, when civilization is still in the forefront of the children's minds, the conch is delineated as the means for civil communication. Golding exemplifies this when he writes, “ ‘We can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have 'Hands up' like at school.’ He held the conch before his face and glanced round the mouth. ‘Then I'll give him the conch.’ ”(Golding 33). This is the voice of Ralph, the main protagonist, who is explaining the use of the conch. He makes the analogy of the rule of raising one’s hand in class to avoid talking out of turn. This ideal, which mainly revolves around peer respect, is still seen in the early stages of the novel, before the barbaracism infiltrates the boys characters. However this is not the case for long, as later in the novel, Jack gives into his savage side and splits from the rest of the group with his own ‘tribe’ of boys. When he attempts to take the power from the leader of all the boys and fails, JAck becomes bitter and begins to turn against the foundings of not only civility, but the very foundations of the community of boys. This is seen when Golding writes, “ ‘We don't need the conch any more. We know who ought to say things... It's time some people knew they've got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us.’ ”(Golding ). THis is obviously directed towards Ralph in a challenge of authority. The longer the boys are on the island, the passion to be in charge becomes greater and greater and the means by which to accomplish gainsing the power becomes less and less moral, thus the degradation of civility and the transition to

The conch is an item of significance in The Lord of the Flies. It symbolizes Ralph’s power and influence within the group of boys. Not only is it used to call other to meetings, but also to identify whose turn it is to speak. Therefore the inciting incident of this novel occurs when Ralph and Piggy discover and retrieve the conch. Afterwards, they blow on it and “mooed like a cow”(16) and the other boys who survived the plane crash gather towards the sound. The discovery of the conch is a significant event in the story because it lead to Ralph’s leadership over the boys. It was clear that the “obvious leader was Jack. But there about Ralph as he sat that marked him out”(22). The “delicate [conch] balanced on his knees,”(22) and set him apart from the rest of the boys. Although it was inevitable that their “society” would collapse, Ralph’s initiation as leader instead of Jack would never have occurred without the conch.

In this quote, Golding is emphasizing on the fire and then the horizon, each of which is an element of fire. The fire at the top of the mountain is a symbol of light and the presence of life. This is the light which kicks inside every one of us and one can make a connection with that of a tube light or an off switch. Then Ralph makes a reference with the horizon which symbolizes hope. Every speck at the line of the horizon could be a ship which is a sign of survival and hope for the stranded. The sunlight at the break of dawn is always the sign of a fresh start (or hope). Many of us, after suffering a setback, hear the words let's start fresh tomorrow or every morning is a new beginning for a new change whether it is good or bad.

The saying “Nothing lasts forever” is frequently used for something that is happening to a person’s life. It can be applied to everything because everything will die out eventually. An interesting example of the concept happening is the Lord of the flies. Lord of the flies written by William Golding, is an allegorical novel about formal school boys trapped on an island with no one around. Slowly by slowly fighting on what to do, they each lose their sanity and their civilization dies out. They become uncivilized savages. In the end the boys have killed two and set the island on fire. However, along the way Golding includes symbolism to foreshadow what is to come. The author exhibits an allegorical novel in which Golding uses the island, conch, Ralph, Piggy’s glasses, and the fire as a symbol to unleash human nature’s evilness.

Lord of the Flies is a novel that takes place during a nuclear war. It depicts the story of several young children taken away from the real world and forced to live by themselves on a deserted island. The novel describes the childrens’ attempts to govern themselves and create a society. There are two clear leaders, Ralph and Jack who stand out from the beginning of the story. When the children arrive on the island, they find a conch and instinctually accept without question that whoever holds the conch possesses the power to speak: “Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence. ‘Listen, everybody’” (Golding 23). The conch is an early symbol of power and authority. This also symbolizes hope for their society. It creates order and unites everyone under the conch. The conch represents the power to make decisions and voice opinion. As the novel progresses, this universally accepted rule becomes obsolete and is