How Does Golding Use Symbols In Lord Of The Flies

Many authors use elements to symbolize ideas and concepts in a unique way to help uncover the theme or meaning of their writing. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys ranging from ages 6 to 12 years old, is stranded on an island and experience a number of elements that symbolize different concepts and ideas and have deeper meaning. Throughout the novel, William Golding uses symbolism to explore human nature and how it tolerates evil through the use of symbols including the conch, the fire, and even the pig’s head.

The first symbol is the conch. In the novel Ralph and Piggy are the first to find and blow the conch gathering all of the survivors onto the beach and this makes Ralph a good candidate for the position of chief. The conch symbolizes power and authority throughout the novel because it is so important, it helps the boys remember rules and order. "The Conch, we can use this to call the others. Have a meeting they'll come when they hear us-” (Golding, 16). When Ralph and Piggy

first find themselves alone on the island they make a plan to find survivors. The boys are drawn to the conch like a moth to a flame throughout much of the story. After some time the meetings begin to display signs of disorder because everyone wants to talk at once. "I'll give the conch to the next person who speaks. He can hold when he is speaking.” (Golding, 33). Piggy comes up with a resolution to keep order through the use of the conch.
Furthermore, the next symbol, which dominates much of the novel, is fire.

The fire can be interpreted in many ways. The fire starts out being used for only good and constructive purposes. "If a ship comes by the Island they might notice us. We must make a fire,” (Golding, 38). Ralph believes the signal fire is their only chance at getting rescued from the island and this gives them a sense of hope. The fire demonstrates the responsibility that they need, but only some seem to posses. This is demonstrated when Ralph orders Jack and the hunters to be responsible to keep the fire lit. They then neglect the order and go hunting, which creates a big conflict. From this it is reasonable to conclude that the boys are not yet ready for the responsibility of the fire or even being in charge of themselves unsupervised. Towards the end of the novel, Jack and the other boys begin to use the fire to harm the others on the island and this ties in with their true human

nature.
Finally, the last symbol is the pig’s head; it is one of the most meaningful symbols in the Lord of the Flies. The description depicted by Golding is very detailed and gruesome. The head is depicted as "dim-eyed, grinning faintly,” with “blood blackening between the teeth," and being an "obscene thing" covered with a "black blob of flies" (Golding, 137). When Simon crosses paths with the Lord of the Files he is told about the beast within everyone. In this, the author is suggesting that civilization is doomed to fail because the beast in all of us will eventually break free. The boys are violent by nature because the island/nature is already so violent or the boys are the cause of the destruction, and ruining the island paradise.
To conclude, there are many different examples of symbolism present throughout the Lord of the Flies including the conch, the fire, and the pig’s head on the stick. They can be examined and analyzed by putting together context clues. The novel has many examples of the different aspects of human nature and Golding depict them in an exciting and creative way. Lord of the Flies demonstrates the dark, crumbling life that results from the evil of human nature.