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Symbolism in Lord of the Flies
The use of symbolism in the book Lord of the Flies
Lord of the flies symbolism
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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 concept of the beast creates fear amongst the children. With their imagination children fear that the beast is out to get them, when in reality the beast is non-existent. This fear of the unknown
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starts when the littlun with the birthmark points out about seeing a snake figure. Ralph states to the boys the concerns of the littlun, that it is a beastie (35). All the kids worrie as they think it can harm them, creating a sense of fear around the island, as the beast could be anywhere on it. Jack and Piggy start to yell at the littluns telling them that the beast does not exist with the hopes that the more they say it that it is really true (82-83). The children always assume a figure as a beast, like the snake and dead parachuter, creating more fear out of them. As they are in a circle dancing and chanting, they mistaken Simon as the beast, and they Viciously attack him, eventually killing him (152). They attempt to get rid of their fear by doing this, however without thinking they act upon their thoughts and commit murder. The beast brings fear into the island and in the children’s minds making them act without thinking. Golding reveals the reality that associates with the beast and it’s true form.
The beast displays the truth about mankind and their actions, making the readers understand what is happening in the world. Sam and Eric are on duty to maintain the fire and they encounter the dead parachuter, thinking that it is the beast. The twins run being horrified from what they saw (Golding 96-98). The parachuter, the beast of air is the consequence and the result of war, exhibiting the harsh actions humans are capable of doing. The beast also incorporate the human want of having power. Jack is unable to get the English boys on his side, so he uses their fear of the beast to manipulate them stating: “I gave you food, and my hunters will protect you from the beast. Who will join my tribe?” (150). In reality, many people uses the means of fear to control and have power over people, like dictators. This shows that power given to the wrong people can destroy or affect negatively on humanity. Near the end the boys turn on Ralph and causes chaos among the island. The naval officer condemn their actions as he says: The officer says: “I should've thought that a pack of British boys. . . would have been able to put up a better show” (202). It is ironic how he chastises them for their actions, but ignore the fact he is a naval officer and participates in war and in the act of killing humans. This is how William Golding shows how the reality is shown through the beast and how power can have its
disadvantages. Evil is a concept that Golding utilizes connecting to the idea of the beast. The start of evil occurs when the boys kill a pig for food, chanting: “Kill the beast! Cut her throat! Spill her blood!” (69). Although it is essential to have food for survival, their obsession to kill begins, showing that they are not conscious that they are killing a living animal. They start to do evil acts like killing, making them ultimately being the beast. Jack bullies Piggy verbally by mocking and calling him names and physically hitting and pushing him. This causes one side of Piggy’s glasses to crack (71-72). Bullying is a form of evil and shows the evil that people are capable of. Fatima’s analysis describes human nature without rules and enforcement of it: The "civilizing instinct" of a man urging him to behave lawfully, follow rules, act morally and the feral instinct inciting him to act brutally, become violent and a selfish breaker of rules run parallel in this novel with the ultimate result of the feral instinct gaining expression by splintering the thin thread of civilization. (Fatima et al. 2012) This analysis clarifies that when civilization no longer have rules or it is not being followed, evil acts occur. Evil is a part of human nature, where Golding uses the beast to represent the evil within. Humans are the real beasts when they stray from civilization.
The first representation of the beast that the author portrays is fear. In document A, “... Begin to people the darkness of night and forest with spirits and demons which had previously appeared only in their dreams or fairy tales”. To clarify, the children’s imagination runs rampant without their parents to banish their fears, so their imagination creates something of a beastie-thing. In document
In the Lord of the Flies fear takes over the boys and cause things to go downfall. The boys in Lord of the Flies might be afraid of the beast, but that fear turns out to be more dangerous than any beast could possibly be. The Lord of the Flies even says to Simon that “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you?
Fear is a present topic in Lord of the Flies and the acrostic, False-Evidence-Appearing-Real, directly relates to chapter 9. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of young boys were stranded on an island. At first they incorporated the civilization that they grew up with into their lives, but as time progressed they began to accept a savage lifestyle that came with consequences. In chapter 9, while the biguns and littluns gathered in a group, chanting and dancing, Simon came down the mountain after finding out the beast was actually a dead man in a parachute. Because it was dark and Simon was unrecognizable, the boys feared him to be the beast and killed him. If the boys had not been so afraid of the beast then they would not have been prompted to kill Simon. In chapter 9 of Lord of the Flies, William Golding employs diction, repetition, and animal imagery to convey the theme that fear can cause savagery to develop in anyone.
The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible. Page 162
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us” (Golding 80). Referencing the savagery of human nature, this statement is one with great accuracy. While reading Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, many themes and problems presented themselves. The book really highlighted the use of power, and the types of people using it. People in society, whether they want power or not, can use their authority without the best intentions, corrupting themselves and others into inhumanity. For example, Jack uses his urge for authority, and eventually his control, to create an extremely savage tribe of boys, by pushing his own wants and laws onto them. This type of power can demoralize many people, including the ultimate
As Simon was trying to tell the boys that the beast did not exist, his death symbolises that mankind can’t face the truth about their inner desires. Part of Golding’s intent was to demonstrate that the evil is not recognised in specific populations or situations. On the island, the beast is manifest in the deadly tribal dances, war paint and manhunt; in the outside world, the same lust for power and control plays out as a nuclear war. Throughout ‘The Lord of the Flies’ Golding has managed to show that evil is present in everyone.
William Golding’s novel ‘The Lord of The Flies’ tells the story of a group of English boys isolated on a desert island, left to attempt to retain civilisation. In the novel, Golding shows one of the boys, Jack, to change significantly. At the beginning of the book, Jack’s character desires power and although he does not immediately get it, he retains the values of civilized behaviour. However, as the story proceeds, his character becomes more savage, leaving behind the values of society. Jack uses fear of the beast to control the other boys and he changes to become the book’s representation of savagery, violence and domination. He is first taken over with an obsession to hunt, which leads to a change in his physical appearance This change of character is significant as he leads the other boys into savagery, representing Golding’s views of there being a bad and unforgiving nature to every human.
Throughout the novel, Lord of the Flies the major theme shown throughout is innocence. For the duration of the novel the young boys progress from innocent, well behaved children longing fir rescue to bloodthirsty savages who eventually lose desire to return to civilisation. The painted bloodthirsty savages towards the end of the novel, who have tortured and killed animals and even their friends are a far cry from the sincere children portrayed at the beginning of the novel. Golding portrays this loss of innocence as a result of their naturally increasing opened to the innate evil that exists within all human beings. “There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast. . . . Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! . . . You knew, didn’t you? I’m par...
Golding has a rather pessimistic view of humanity having selfishness, impulsiveness and violence within, shown in his dark yet allegorical novel Lord of the Flies. Throughout the novel, the boys show great self-concern, act rashly, and pummel beasts, boys and bacon. The delicate facade of society is easily toppled by man's true beastly nature.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is tale of a group of young boys who become stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. Intertwined in this classic novel are many themes, most that relate to the inherent evil that exists in all human beings and the malicious nature of mankind. In The Lord of the Flies, Golding shows the boys' gradual transformation from being civilized, well-mannered people to savage, ritualistic beasts.
To conclude I agree that Lord of the flies is a terrifying novel and Golding does this be creating a chilling message, characters such as Roger and the Beast who cause terror in both the story and in their hiding meanings, in the bullying and eventual demise of two boys who wanted nothing but to help them survive summing up to a book which directly is very terrifying but when looked at deeper is full of implications and hidden meaning which should terrify the reader.
The fear of the beast, was an essential one to the story of The Lord of the Flies, as it manifests into different characters.
“Everybody has good and evil within them. All we're trying to say is that people are not all good or all bad. People are more complicated than you think, and one has to be more knowledgeable about the complexities.” This quotation from Stephen Schwartz establishes that even the best of people can be bitter by their own nature. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding removes the restraints of society to prove that it is human nature to live primitively and that evil lies within all of us. The sanctions of society begin to deteriorate due to the loss of communication, Jack’s obsession with hunting, and the inhumane nature of Jack and his “tribe”.
Another of the most important symbols used to present the theme of the novel is the beast. In the imaginations of many of the boys, the beast is a tangible source of evil on the island. However, in reality, it represents the evil naturally present within everyone, which is causing life on the island to deteriorate. Simon begins to realize this even before his encounter with the Lord of the Flies, and during one argument over the existence of a beast, he attempts to share his insight with the others.
This paper will explore the three elements of innate evil within William Golding's, Lord of the Flies, the change from civilization to savagery, the beast, and the battle on the island. Golding represents evil through his character's, their actions, and symbolism. The island becomes the biggest representation of evil because it's where the entire novel takes place. The change from civilization to savagery is another representation of how easily people can change from good to evil under unusual circumstances. Golding also explores the evil within all humans though the beast, because it's their only chance for survival and survival instinct takes over. In doing so, this paper will prove that Lord of the Flies exemplifies the innate evil that exists within all humans.