The Use of Symbolism in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

These literary devices are used oftentimes all at once to further emphasize points of Golding’s theme, constantly dichotomising symbols throughout the book. Golding’s most important symbol is the Lord of the Flies: the character representing the evil within all mankind, the evil that lead to the murders of Piggy and Simon, the evil that led Jack to hatred and cruelty, the evil that almost killed Ralph. Golding’s point resonates throughout all society, not as the musing of a shell-shocked former soldier, but as a truth of human nature: Mankind is truly, unadulteratedly, and by nature, evil and savage; the only force holding Man in civility is their own selfishness, motivating cooperation for an individual’s own

Symbolism is prominent throughout the book, Lord of the Flies. William Golding’s stated purpose is “the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system” (238). In the book, Golding demonstrates that when put into an environment without civilization, many will turn to evil. The nature within the individual, whether evil or otherwise, determines the nature of the society in which he lives. Light and dark is the most significant symbol that Golding uses to develop his purpose. He uses light and dark to represent good and evil, and civilization and savagery, and shows the stages of the descent from civilization into savagery.

William Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies to draw attention to the chaos in society during the Second World War. Throughout the novel, there is a large amount of symbolism that gives the readers a better understanding of his ideas and concepts. There are many symbolic objects in the Lord of the Flies that help to expand his perception of the Second World War and his theme of there being a little bit of evil and savagery in everyone. Three of the most important symbolic objects are Piggy’s glasses, the conch shell, and the signal fire.

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.

Throughout the novel, the face paint that Jack and his crew used simultaneously masks their faces as well as their civility. The first mention of the facepaint is made when Jack is strategizing a way to sneak up on a pig and he decides to camouflage himself. Jack says that his “half-concealed face” is “for hunting. Like in the war” (63). The incomplete coverage of the paint indicates that Jack is not fully immersed into his savagery. However, his interest in aggressive acts, hunting and war, insinuates that he does have a tendency towards aggressiveness as well. Perhaps the most blatant reference to the fact that face paint induces savagery within the boys, specifically the hunters, is when Golding states that “the mask compelled them” (64)

Lord of the Flies, a suggestive name for the Devil, a devil whose name proposes that he is devoted to decay, destruction, demoralization and panic, exactly what William Golding had in mind when using symbolism in this novel. The Lord of the Flies (1954), is a novel in which interpretating the symbols are a main key to not only understanding, but also enjoying the novel. After tying many of the symbols together, you can figure out more about what the author is trying to depict, the overall scene.

In Lord of the Flies, symbolism is evident in the outward appearance of the boys, as it represents the mental state of them. This is a unique use of symbolism, and this along with it’s great writing, interesting plot, and intriguing characters, makes Lord of the Flies by William Golding a great

In Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, a group of boys from ages 6 to 14 became stranded on an island in a plane crash. They do not know how long they are going to be there or who is going to rescue them. The boys have to figure out a way to survive until they are rescued. Symbolism is used many different times throughout the novel. Symbolism is something that has a way to present something else shown in either text or image. It fits into literature by giving symbols to show a story. Throughout the story, the author mentions symbols such as the conch and the painted faces. The reader can figure out what these symbols represent from clues given in the text.

William Golding’s modern classic, Lord of the Flies showcases a group of boys stranded on an island, in hopes of rescue and survival. This depicts how a society of boys would function if civilization had not been forced on them. Moreover, this novel shows us Golding’s inner kept judgement of the function of society. The boys first meet together on the island by using what later becomes a symbol of law; the conch. It is first used as an object to keep order amongst the boys, but later becomes the center of conflict between two clashing tribes. It represents the battle between order and chaos, and the outcome is Golding’s view of which rules in society. A constant occurrence in the book is the bullying of the characters, Simon and Piggy. Although these characters contributed greatly to the development of the group, their actions were never appreciated. They were both outcasts in the tribe, never listened to, nor included in any conversations. Golding represents these characters as religion and intelligence, and so the outcast of these boys gives us a window into which parts of society the author deems are valuable and unnecessary. Jack, the antagonist in the book is portrayed as a vile, aggressive creature. He and his hunters become obsessed with bloodshed and macabre, and so they kill to satisfy their needs. What starts as killing pigs for meat as a means of survival, soon turns into an addiction for blood leading to a bloodbath between the boys. The constant hunger for

Many authors use symbolism to create a meaningful message and to generate different emotions throughout the story. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there are several examples when Golding uses symbolism to portray the idea of good vs. evil.

William Golding included many forms of symbolism and many double meanings throughout the novel “Lord of the Flies.” In many cases, he used symbolism to make a statement about human nature. Many of these statements are negative and aimed at how munas behave badly, even savagely. Among the most prominent of these symbols are the fire, the conch, and the huts.

The Universal motif and theme I have selected are: power and leadership, and innocence can be lost through evil choices. I chose to represent the motif power and leadership by illustrating a crown that kings wear while in power. This crown shows tat Jack has power and control over the boys on the island.The text "[Jack] turned and trotted away and after a moment they followed him obediently." (133) shows just how much control Jack has over almost all the boys. The theme innocence can be lost through evil choices is shown by a picture of a cross. This cross illustrates that many of the boys have lost their goodness and innocence through all of the worldly, selfish, and horrid decisions throughout their time on the island, like as written, "Ralph

Symbolism is a very important factor in many books. The use of symbolism in William Golding’s novel The Lord of the Flies is the most essential aspect to the function of the story. At first glance you may not think the symbols are very important, but with some in-depth thought you can see how it is necessary to explain the microcosm of an island.

Lord of the Flies has more symbols than just the ones in this essay. Goulding shows the

Lord of the Flies: William Golding has said that his novel Lord of the Flies was symbolic from the beginning until the end when the boys are rescued. During the course of the novel these symbols are constantly changing, giving us a new interpretation of the island society.