Lord of the Flies and Allegory The novel “Lord of the Flies” can be read at a much deeper level. What appears to be a story of a group of boys attempting to survive on an island can be read as symbolic of the theory of the subconscious created by Sigmund Freud. The story is an allegory where the characters: Jack, Piggy, and Ralph serve as symbols for the theory of Id, Ego, and Superego. Ralph is not Ralph, he is much more than that. Piggy is not Piggy, he is us, he is everything. Jack is not Jack, he is bigger than just Jack. We never would have thought a simple group of preteen boys were much more than the characters they portrayed. The initial character I will discuss is named Jack. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack is considered to be self-centered, rude, and only driven toward his own needs and desires. In the modern world, he would be the type of individual to lose …show more content…
(289-290) As Ralph was close to giving up, he thought about his friend, Piggy and how much he truly cared for him. Additionally, the author wrote, “There was something good about a fire. Something overwhelmingly good.” (233-234) This statement displays that the fire was more symbolic than anything, it represented new life and a potential future away from the island.
The next character I will discuss is Piggy. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, Piggy is the type of character who is considered to be smart, loyal, and caring. He is clearly the brains behind the bronze. Piggy is the morals we have. The decision of right between wrong. Piggy’s symbolization is what makes us think twice about doing something wrong or doing something right. He makes us think before we do something. Piggy is the type of character in the modern world who would be a “model” citizen whom everyone can look up to and
Lord of the Flies was written by a British author in 1954. The book is about a group of British school boys that crash on an island and have to survive. During their time on the island they turn their backs on being civil and become savages. Ralph is the elected leader and always thinks civil. Jack leaves the group and starts a tribe with the boys and is a savage. Piggy is a boy who is knowable. Simon is compared to Jesus through the book and is the only naturally “good” character. The littleuns are the littler kids on the island. Roger is a cruel older boy who is Jack’s lieutenant. Samneric are twins who are close to Ralph but, are manipulated by Jack later on. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding some of the characters represent id, ego, and superego. Id, ego, and super ego are the three parts of the psychic apparatus expressed by Sigmund Freud’s structural model of the psyche. Golding expresses his message of evil and how it is natural in every person, and how we must recognize and control it through id, ego, and superego.
...m the island is if they make smoke. To make smoke, they must build a fire. They decide to put the fire on top of the mountain because it is the highest point on the island and they smoke would be easier to see to passing by ships. Everybody at this point thinks it’s a great idea and thinks is willing to pitch in to get the fire going. They are very enthusiastic and they all want to get of the island as soon as possible. Rescue is the first and only thing that is going through the minds of the boys. Fire also represents civilty because fire is used for warmth, comfort and tool-making. All things that are needed in a civil society and at this point in the novel, the boys are very civil. Jack and some of the other boys are starting to lose will to be rescued. ‘”We can light the fire again. You should have been with us, Ralph. We had a smashing time…”’ (Golding 73)
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack is the character that experiences the most change. Jack begins the novel as a somewhat arrogant choirboy, who cries when he is not elected leader of the island. Jack is gradually transformed into a vicious killer who has no respect for human life. Through a series of stages, such as leading the choir, leading the hunting tribe, wearing the mask, killing Simon, separating from the group and intentionally killing Piggy, Jack degenerates from a normal, arrogant school boy into a savage beast.
Throughout the aforementioned arguments, it goes to show that the conflict of character vs. society is present in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Some characters that encountered conflicts with society in the story are Ralph and Piggy. Ralph continuously has to fight to have everyone maintain organized in order to survive and be rescued. Piggy struggles with prejudice as everybody overlooks his ability to contribute to the group and being only recognized for his bully given name and his
Jack Merridew is the devil-like figure in the story, Lord of the Flies. Jack is wicked in nature having no feelings for any living creature. His appearance and behavior intimidates the others from their first encounter. The leading savage, Jack leans more towards hunting and killing and is the main reason behind the splitting of the boys. It has been said that Jack represents the evilness of human nature; but in the end, Jack is almost a hero. With his totalitarian leadership, he was able to organize the group of boys into a useful and productive society
Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding in 1954 about a group of young British boys who have been stranded alone together on an island with no adults. During the novel the diverse group of boys struggle to create structure within a society that they constructed by themselves. Golding uses many unique literary devices including characterization, imagery, symbolism and many more. The three main characters, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack are each representative of the three main literary devices, ethos, logos, and pathos. Beyond the characterization the novel stands out because of Golding’s dramatic use of objective symbolism, throughout the novel he uses symbols like the conch, fire, and Piggy’s glasses to represent how power has evolved and to show how civilized or uncivilized the boys are acting. It is almost inarguable that the entire novel is one big allegory in itself, the way that Golding portrays the development of savagery among the boys is a clear representation of how society was changing during the time the novel was published. Golding is writing during
Much of history’s most renown literature have real-world connections hidden in them, although they may be taxing uncover. William Golding’s classic, Lord of the Flies, is no exception. In this work of art, Golding uses the three main characters, Piggy, Jack, and Ralph, to symbolize various aspects of human nature through their behaviors, actions, and responses.
Have you ever thought about six to thirteen year olds ever acting like savages and turning into a serial killer? After reading Lord of the Flies, this is exactly what happened. Ralph, Piggy, Jack and other kids cash land on a gorgeous island with leaving no trace for the world to find them. Ralph tries to be organized and logical, but in the other hand, Jack is only interested in satisfying his pleasures. Just like in the short story, The Tortoise And The Hare, Lord of the Flies, stands for something. This novel is a psychological allegory, the island, as the mind, Ralph, the leader, as the ego, Jack, the hunter, as the id, and Piggy, an annoying little boy, as the super ego. As we read Lord Of
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.
However, at the end of the book, he simply stood for a common human being. In the beginning of the story, before a formal introduction, Ralph was described simply as “a fair boy.” This already sets him out in a favorable light. Then it further describes how he is apparently good-looking and has the natural air of leadership. Of course, the conch played a big role when the kids voted him for leader, but his appearance played a large role as well. For the good first part of the book, Ralph has always symbolized leadership. As the story progresses and the kids became more and more distant from the idea of civilization, Ralph became more like a representation of common sense. Golding wrote, “‘I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts-then you go off hunting and let the fire-’ He turned away, silent for a moment. Then his voice came again on a peak of feeling. ‘There was a ship-’” At this part, Ralph criticized Jack for not doing the necessary civilized things in favor of quenching his thirst for a hunt. As more and more of the kids become more and more uncivilized, Ralph became one of the last voices of common sense. When Simon and Piggy died, Ralph was the last one who retained that common sense and yearned for civilization. He had no leadership powers left anymore, and he stood for nothing more than a
Ralph is a character in the novel that signifies leadership, socialization, and civilization. Ralph uses his leadership abilities and Piggy’s intellect to govern the boys on the island. He manages to conduct frequent meetings discussing the rules and regulations, sets up a fire as a signal for help, and builds shelters for the boys to live
Although there are many interpretations of Golding’s Lord of the Flies, one of the most important is one that involves an examination of Freudian ideas. The main characters personify Sigmund Freud’s theory of the divisions of the human mind; thus, Jack, Ralph, Piggy and Simon are metaphors for the id, ego, and the super-ego of Freudian psychology, respectively. The inclusion of psychological concepts in this literary work distinguish it as a commentary on human nature, beyond labels of “adventure” or “coming of age” novel. Many readers are left in shock upon reading Golding’s masterpiece because of the children’s loss of innocence, but most fail to consider
In conclusion, each of the theories discussed apply to the characters in the lord of the flies in some way. Jack shows his potential evil and stops suppressing his inner savagery, he responds to his id and his super-ego starts to have a lessened effect on his it, and he breaks both of the agreements in the social contract. Piggy and Ralph are able to suppress their inner savagery, and act as certain parts of the psyche, interacting together they are able to make ethically correct choices, and stay in the social contract they have entered.
Ralph helps Piggy create rules for the civilization to keep them from savagery. Ralph is almost realistic and mature as Superego, but he succumbs to the childish savagery and Id at times but recedes back to the Ego. “Ralph found himself taking giant strides among the ashes, heard other creatures crying out and leaping and dared the impossible on the dark slope” (Golding 123). Ralph is determined not to let himself be overwhelmed with the exhilaration and the excitement he sees the others get from hunting but he finds himself wrapped up in it. Ralph sets the civilization up like a democracy and that characteristic is the Ego represented through him.
As reading becomes a more modern form of entertainment for many people in current times, many readers often overlook the symbolism, and underlying stories in literature. William Golding’s Lord of The Flies, is a perfect example of this. Inside Golding’s story are many forms of symbolism, and meaning. Lord of the Flies is a story about a group of young English boys in the middle of WW2. When their plane crash lands on a deserted tropical island, and the pilot is killed, the boys must learn to function and run a society by themselves. This piece of literature questions the true nature of mankind, and how man behaves in the state of nature. The items and people of this story symbolize and represent many different aspects of human nature, and