Lord of the Flies: Symbolism Analysis

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Recommended: The use of symbolism in Lord of the Flies

Characters are used in literature as symbols to represent mankind's different “faces”. Everyone in both fictional and real societies have civil orderly sides, as well as an instinctual hunger for power. Both of these traits together make us human, but imbalance of these traits in some people can alter our being. These traits are necessary for our survival, but too much can create toxic environments. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbols to tell the reader more about human traits and provides a platform that shows the interactions between people with different balances of traits; Golding then shows the possible outcome of the conflict these traits create. Three main characters that stand out and represent the civility and hunger for power of humans are Piggy, Jack, and Ralph. Each can be seen as a symbol for different behaviors and traits that humans show, as well as the different mixes of civil and instinctual. The characters symbolize the different traits, instinctual power and calming civil nature, and how the different balances can affect a persons actions, behaviors, and interactions with others.

The first main character and by far the boldest is Jack. He represents mankind's imbalance with instinctual nature. Jack comes into the story as the leader of a group of choir boys. Golding uses Jack to show man’s constant battle to be the best and control all of the power. When all the boys meet up with Ralph and Piggy, the first thing the boys do is have a vote for a leader. After the vote is tallied and Ralph is declared the leader, “The circle of boys broke into applause. Even the choir applauded; and the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification.”(23 Golding). Jack shows jealousy a...

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...n then Ralph seems to change after that as to try and make up for a lapse in his judgement.

William Golding uses symbols as a way to tell his readers about human nature through their interactions, conversations, and actions. Each character was set up to show a different side of mankinds faces. Each imbalance of human nature can be toxic but it is up to the individual to decide for change or against it. Although this is just a story, it outlines a lot of what is in society today. Leaders are corrupt or too distanced to know what our lives are like to lead properly. A leader who is in the same situation as Ralph has great potential in becoming a great leader. From age to age, symbols in literary work tell us more about who we are, and answer some of the what if’s in life.

Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York; Penguin Group,2006. Print.

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