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Depiction of authority in Lord of the Flies
The control of society in lord of the flies
The control of society in lord of the flies
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Recommended: Depiction of authority in Lord of the Flies
Civilization vs. savagery, reason vs. impulse, order vs. chaos, law vs. anarchy, or the broader heading of good vs. evil. This is a dilemma every single human being goes through on a daily basis. Weather we do what we know is right, live by rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands and proceed with the values we were grown up to respect or give in to our savage/ animal side, the instinct to gratify one’s immediate desires, enforce one’s will, and act violently to obtain supremacy over others. Throughout the book there are three main symbols: the conch, the signal fire, and the Lord of the Flies. These symbols help the reader to understand and capture the boys struggles to maintain civility and how they slowly graduate into what they finally become by the end of the novel: savages.
In the beginning of the book the boys tried to be civil, live by rules, be peaceful to one another and follow moral commands. The conch’s literal role in the novel was to summon meetings, however there was a much deeper meaning to it. The conch represented rules, democracy and civilization and when it got crushed it was clear that all these signs had long vanished and that the boys had long lost their innocence and humanity for they were now savages. The conch was used throughout the book to establish order and all respected its authority for only the ones who held the conch spoke during meetings. We can see from the very beginning that the conch set order, by blowing in to the conch Ralph and Piggy were able to reunite all the survivors, this straight away showed the reader how the conch held some sort of authority that throughout the book became clearer. The entire first chapter--The Sound of the Shell--is devoted to the conch, and its symboli...
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...the beast itself.
Within all of us there is the fight between evil vs. good, right vs. wrong, and civilization vs. savagery. However, to which side we give in to is our choice. In the book the boys try to maintain civility, order, be good and practice what’s right. However, they slowly give in to the darker side and by the end they all become savages, killing two out of the three still civil persons on the island and hunting down the last (Ralph). There are many symbols throughout the book that help the reader see this fact and foreshadow what might further on come in the book. The three main symbols in the novel (in my opinion) were the conch, the signal fire and the Lord of the Flies. These three symbols slowly graduate form civil to savage as so do the boys.
Bibliography:
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: The Berkley
Publishing Group, 1954.
The evil in man is seen in many parts of life and it could be only be brought out when they have the power and position to do it. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding symbolism is used to show the theme of the Inherent Evil of Man through the conch, the Lord of the Flies, and the fire. The breaking of the conch shows how the boys forget authority and destroy their only symbol of civilization. The Lord of the Flies shows the violence of the boys, and the temptation of the evil Lord of the Flies. The fire shows how something used for rescue and hope is turned into something violent and evil. The fire burns down trees and parts of the island when the savage boys are trying to kill Ralph.
The book Lord of the Flies has changing symbolic values in objects and places. These values reflect humanity's nature to become savage. This is demonstrated by the symbols in their mirroring of the boys. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the meaning of symbols evolve throughout the story with the conch standing for civilization and then the breakdown of order in society, Piggy’s specs meaning knowledge then Jack’s power, and the fire first representing hope then ultimately destruction.
William Golding’s book Lord of the Flies is a novel based on a group of schoolboys that were flying on a plane to escape World War II and were shot down. They were shot down over a deserted tropical island in Britain. The boys suffered a large fire that burned the island, little food, and a boy that is out to kill everyone by the end of the book.
Another of the symbols that was used to present the theme of the novel is the beast. The boys believed that the beast is an external source of evil. Though, in reality, it represents the evil present within them, which is causing life on the island to worsen. Simon begins to realize this even befor...
One of the most important themes running through the whole story in Lord of the Flies by William Golding is the power of different symbols. Golding frequently uses symbolism, which is the practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning. The main point of each symbol is its use and its effect on each of the characters. They help shape who the characters are and what they will be. The symbols weave their way throughout the story and are more powerful than they first seem. Two boys from similar upbringings can both be so drastically different when put in difficult situations and given things to make them wield power among others. Spitz says, “But his desire for many controls did not, of course, extend to controls
Another of the most important symbols used to present the theme of the novel is the beast. In the imaginations of many of the boys, the beast is a tangible source of evil on the island. However, in reality, it represents the evil naturally present within everyone, which is causing life on the island to deteriorate. Simon begins to realize this even before his encounter with the Lord of the Flies, and during one argument over the existence of a beast, he attempts to share his insight with the others.
It is often said that civilization begins with order and grows with liberty and dies in chaos. In the novel “Lord of The Flies,” by William Golding, a group of young boys progress from well behaved orderly children hoping to be rescued, to who have transitioned into bloodthirsty hunters that no longer wish to return home. There is a conflict between the impulse to be civilized, well-behaved, to follow moral commands and to honour the good of the group against the instinct to value one’s own needs and to obtain dominance throughout the novel using symbols. The symbols presented time and time again in the text were Piggy’s glasses, the conch shell, as well as the fire.
Another thing that was symbolized in the book is the conch shell. The conch is what Ralph blew into to get the boys to come together. At first they established rules, one of them being the person holding the conch is the only person who can speak. The conch symbolizes order among the boys. As time past the boys acted more and more uncivil, and they didn't pay much attention to the conch. At this point, order stated to disintegrate. Towards the end of the novel, when the conch was shattered, all civilization of the boys shattered along with it. There was complete chaos on the island.
Throughout Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the readers notice numerous symbols within important objects and events that occur. William Golding used symbolism in Lord of the Flies to reveal an allegory, and that allegory is human nature. Each symbol represents a small aspect of human nature, and without the symbolism and the allegory, the book would be just a simple adventure story. A few of the symbols written in the book are the conch, the fire, and the Lord of the Flies; all of them have important meanings.
The small acts of oversight shift into outright defiance. As the boys hold a meeting to discuss the beast the twins claim to have seen, Jack interrupts Piggy, although Piggy is holding the conch. Jack continues to challenge the power of the conch as he says, “Conch! Conch! We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things” (101). Jack refuses to honor the conch when it is in the possession of someone whom he does not respect. Since the conch represents order, this demonstrates that order can only exist when it is enforced by those who are respected. If those enforcers are not respected, others will not feel the need to uphold the rules in place. Near the end of the novel, the conch is destroyed. On that fateful day, Piggy holds the conch as he delivers a speech on the importance of law and fairness, ideas which Roger, a savage, detest. Annoyed by Piggy’s words, Roger pushes a rock over the cliff and it “[strikes] Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch [explodes] into a thousand white fragments and [ceases] to exist” (181). Roger’s act of savagery destroys the fragile conch in one fatal shot. As the conch shatters, so do the last shreds of democratic society on the island. Although the conch was only a symbol of order by this point, its destruction marks the end of order on the island. The boys cave to ruthlessness and
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But the two that stood out the most where the beginning and the ending. It started by showing that the boys could come together and survive for however long it took. But by the end they fall apart and turn to savagery and end up killing Piggy and Simon. Then they have to be rescued by a navy vessel and the realize what they have done. A few symbols of this book where the conch, a seashell that when blown into acts like a horn. The signal fire which acted a symbol of hope and rescue. Finally, Piggy’s specs which were used as a fire starter. The major themes of this book where civilization vs. savagery, natural beauty, and loss of
When the boys found the conch, it creates an instant sense of order and civilization. Finding this treasure on the island gives the boys a short lived feeling of authority. Ralph, the overall leader of the island and another boy, Piggy first finds the conch; “he laid the conch against his lips, took a deep breath, and blew once more… a child appeared among the palms”(17). Once the conch is blown, everyone who has not already stumbled out of the woods, finds their way to the beach. This one object is so crucial in creating a civilized society amongst eight to twelve year olds. The color
It was very notable in Chapter 1 when Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell in the lagoon, and they used it as a horn to call the others that were scattered among the island. The reader finds out that Ralph uses the conch to silence the group of boys “ ‘Shut up,’ said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch.” (Golding 22) This is when the conch shell reflects as a powerful symbol of order between the boys. “There aren’t any grownups. We shall have to look after ourselves” and this is when they realize they need to establish rules among themselves (Golding 33). The reader goes on to read how the boys talk about they’re going to use the conch to communicate “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.”
...ay savage, and thus making the whole island a savage place. Without symbols, Lord of the Flies would be a different story (Literary analysis: Symbolism in Lord of the Flies, by William Golding).