Symbols In Lord Of The Flies Essay

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Often authors employ symbolism to reveal their themes. In the Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the beast to show violence and brutality as well as the Lord of the Flies to show loss of innocence. Golding uses symbols such as the beast and lord of flies help show how their descent into savagery causes a loss of innocence in the boys.
The beast helps show how the boys act more and more savage the longer they are on the island. For example, after the boys kill Simon because they thought he was the beast, Piggy said “I’m scared of us, I want to go home” (102). The brutality of the boys is frightening because of the sharp contrast from the civilized world. It makes Piggy feel like he is trapped in a cage with hungry lions. Moreover, when they …show more content…

Notably, when they killed the sow that became the lord of the flies they stabbed her “right up her ass!” (135). They treat killing the pig with the brutality of rape. This unsettling imagery shows how truly far from innocent the boys are . Also, when they kill the sow they “leave part of her for” the beast (137). The savage idea of leaving a severed head on a stick shows how the boys have become corrupted by the evils of the island. The fear of the beast has twisted them and made them crazy and brutal. Then the boys declare “this head is for the beast, it is a gift” (139). Their fear of the beast makes the boys frantic to appease what they believe to be the eminent danger of the beast. They throw aside their innocence as they sacrifice a severed pig's head to the beast. Clearly, the lord of the flies show the savage nature of the boys.
Throughout the book, the recurring symbols of the beast and the Lord of the Flies helped show how their increasing brutality divest them of their innocence. The fear of the beast inspired them to act savagely and create the lord of the flies which ultimately leads to the loss of their innocence. Altogether, symbolism in lord of the flies helped show how the increasingly savage nature made them lose their

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