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Themes in lord of the flies essay
Themes in lord of the flies essay
The characterisation of the novel lord of the flies
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In the novel “Lord of the Flies” written by William Golding, Golding uses symbolism as a way of portraying important themes throughout out the book. The “Lord of the Flies” is about a group of 30 or so young boys who end up stranded on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. It is set in about the 1950’s during a fictional atomic war after the plane the boys were on crashes leaving no adults to look after them. In the novel we see how the boys cope without adults and how any civilization established on the island crumbles due to the fear of a beast, “The Lord of the Flies”. The author uses the following symbols to creative a thematic effect throughout the novel. In the novel the symbols of a conch shell, the beast and the Lord of the …show more content…
The novels namesake “The Lord of the Flies” is a pig head that the boys put on a stake as a sacrifice to the beast. When looking at the lord of the flies we see that it is quite a complex symbol. This is because it is a physical representation of the beast as well as a symbol of evil. As the lord of the flies is a pigs head it serves as a way of the boys thinking that there really is a beast as it was their sacrifice. This symbol also represents the power of evil or a Satan figure. This is effective for theme as it shows how the boys are able to call upon their inner beast. “I know there isn’t no…, … Unless we get frightened of people.” This quote shows how Piggy, who ends up falling victim to the savagery of the boys, is able to see that the lord of the flies is actually creating the beast out of the children. The lord of the flies is a literal translation of Beelzebub, considered the devil himself. This creates the sense of pure evil within in the group of boys as there is a pigs head representing the devil which they are worshipping. This is related to Christian beliefs and provides Biblical parallels throughout the text as it shows that the boy’s behaviour is in the will of
and applies this to the origin of human nature. Seeing the boys lose their innocence throughout the novel, the reader is reminded of humanity’s capacity of evil and how man made moral systems and codes are superficial. The central symbol in ‘Lord of the Flies’ is the pigs head on the stick, which represents the destruction, demoralisation and decay in humanity. The continuing motif of falling is seen in the “fall of human kind”, and the “fall of reason” as Piggy’s glasses are broken and the boys lose their
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the beast gives the children a sense of fear throughout the story. It also shows that it is one of the children's top priorities, as they hunt for it and try to protect themselves from it. The children use the beast to work together, but as the novel progresses the group goes through a separation. The beast is an important role in the novel, having many forms of concepts about it. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the concept of the beast as a whole is used as fear, reality, and evil.
The author, William Golding, shows many forms of symbolism in the novel, Lord of the Flies. Symbolism means use of symbols to represent an idea from its actual meaning. In this novel, Golding uses symbolism from the beginning to the end of the novel. During the novel, these symbols continue to change and give a new meaning. Three significant symbols from the novel include the conch, the fire, and the beast. Each symbol changes throughout the novel and revolves around the evil that is inside people. There is always a beast within when the darkness comes out.
This is symbolised through the fire that the boys light as the fire represents the boys’ connection to civilisation seeing as the fire gets dimmer their will to get back to civilisation decreases and their true instincts come out the more they are exposed to nature. "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!" The repetition of this quote many times demonstrates the primal and evil diction that Golding utilizes through each character's speech. aggressive verbal expression conveys the harshness of their wicked and blood thirsty intent. Additionally, the diction of the boys is immature and unsophisticated which aids in portraying and reinforcing the youthfulness of the characters. The pig's head on a stick is also symbolism for the metaphorical Lord of the Flies, which is ultimately the demon found to be within each of the boy's hearts and minds. This can be interpreted as the inner voice of evil. "You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?" This certifies that the beast is indeed within Simon as well as all of the boys. In truth, when the Lord of the Flies is talking to Simon, it is really Simon hallucinating as he hears the voices of the boys as a whole in his own
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 conclusion, the Lord of the Flies is a story that portrays the dark life that results from mankind's inherent capacity for evil. Through the symbols of the conch shell, beast and Piggy's glasses truly shows the comparison between Ralph and
The rumors of its existence scare the smaller children, but also become the catalyst for Jack and his group to indulge their savageness, due to their desire to hunt it down and kill it. The boys are driven to madness because of it. This “beastie” is the titular Lord of the Flies, or Beelzebub, who in the New Testament is identified as the Devil – a symbol of evil. When one of the characters, Simon, stumbles across the beastie it is revealed that it is a pig’s head on a stick. The pig was brutally stabbed by Jack and his hunters in a frenzy, as the pig squealed in pain. This act of savagery solidifies the loss of innocence and the embracement of evil. Simon hallucinates the head talking to him. “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?” (Golding 158) The Lord of the Flies suggests that his presence is the reason for the boys’ descent into savagery and madness, beginning with the children’s fear of the beast’s existence, followed by Jack’s brutality when killing the pig as well as his transformation into a savage, finally culminating in the frenzied murder of Simon at the hands of the children who mistake him for the beast. While they are beating Simon to death they are also chanting "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!" (Golding 168) and dancing around him, similarly to a tribe of savages. The killing of a fellow human being is the biggest sign that evil has enveloped the hearts of the
One of the most important and most obvious symbols in Lord of the Flies is the object that gives the novel its name, the pig's head. Golding's description of the slaughtered animal's head on a spear is very graphic and even frightening. The pig's head is depicted as "dim-eyed, grinning faintly, blood blackening between the teeth," and the "obscene thing" is covered with a "black blob of flies" that "tickled under his nostrils" (William Golding, Lord of the Flies, New York, Putnam Publishing Group, 1954, p. 137, 138). As a result of this detailed, striking image, the reader becomes aware of the great evil and darkness represented by the Lord of the Flies, and when Simon begins to converse with the seemingly inanimate, devil-like object, the source of that wickedness is revealed. Even though the conversation may be entirely a hallucination, Simon learns that the beast, which has long since frightened the other boys on the island, is not an external force. In fact, the head of the slain pig tells him, "Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill! Ö You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you?" (p. 143). That is to say, the evil, epitomized by the pig's head, that is causing the boys' island society to decline is that which is inherently present within man. At the end of this scene, the immense evil represented by this powerful symbol can once again be seen as Simon faints after looking into the wide mouth of the pig and seeing "blackness within, a blackness that spread" (p. 144).
In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses a variety of symbols to represent ideas, or abstract notions or conceptions about people, places, and things. A symbol, according to the Webster's Dictionary, is an object that stands for something in addition to its literal meaning. In the book, there is a continual breakdown of society and civilization on the island. During this breakdown, Golding uses symbolism to further explain the process. Some of the things he symbolizes in the novel are the island itself, the conch, the boys clothing, and the violence.
In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, symbolism and allegories were used to show how the children who are stranded on an island have a huge struggle with civilization and savagery. Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon are the ones in the novel that struggle with this the most.
In conclusion, this whole novel is based on good versus evil. The symbolism in the novel helps to portray that as much as possible, with the conch and Ralph, Piggy, and Simon representing the “good,” and the sow’s head and Jack and his hunters representing the “evil.” One of the main themes of The Lord of the Flies is man’s inhumanity to man. It is also compared to the book of Genesis in the Bible. This novel deals with all the corruption in the world, and no matter whom you are, while reading it, you can always relate it to real life situations.
Imagine a group of young boys who have just crash-landed on a deserted tropical island with no adults or supervision. William Golding showed in his ground breaking novel Lord of the Flies, what may happen in just those circumstances. In his very complicated and diverse novel Golding brings out many ideas and uses many literary devices. Above all others though comes symbolism of three main important objects being the conch, fire, and "Piggy's" eyeglasses. Through each of these three symbols Golding shows how the boys adapt and change throughout the novel. These symbols also help to show each of the boy's ideals on a variety of elements from human nature to society and its controls. All three of these symbols also change and are one of the most important elements of the story.
Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, took place on an isolated tropical island. There were many symbolic items within the story, and their meanings changed as the story developed. The fire was the symbol of hope and civilization at the beginning of the novel, but at the end it had become a fire of destruction. Ralph, in the beginning of the book, stood for leadership and almost perfection, however as the story progresses, he was nothing more than a normal human. The beast, upon its first appearance, symbolized fear, but soon, it represented the savagery within them. The different symbolic figures within the book, such as the fire, Ralph, and the beast, shifted in meaning as the story develops.
In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows a story of boys who are trapped on an island, and must figure out how to survive. The story represents the fall of mankind, as symbolism is present throughout the entire novel. It is best seen through a historical perspective. Golding uses events from his own lifetime, the Operation Pied Paper, and Hitler’s ruling to compare it to the major events, the beginning of the story, and Jack’s personality.
...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).