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Discuss symbolism and allegory in william golding's lord of the flies
Discuss symbolism and allegory in william golding's lord of the flies
Discuss symbolism and allegory in william golding's lord of the flies
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Lord of the Flies, awarded the Nobel Prize for literature is considered a modern classic.
What makes this novel so interesting and realistic is the fact that it parallels with the real world.
The point that Golding was trying to make was that evil is inside all of us. He used this novel to express to the readers his thoughts on the matter, which was that to defeat the evil inside yourself, you have to admit that it is there. Simon managed to face the beast inside him. But unfortunately, since the other boys still believed that the beast was a living, breathing creature, it resulted in the death of Simon.
When comparing the characters in the book to real people, it is not hard to see the similarities.
Simon was the first and only one to realise the real beast on the Island. He could be compared to someone like a priest or a good samaraton – someone who tries his best to convince everyone of what’s right.
The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible. Page 162
Jack is more like someone from a cult of some description. He quite easily convinces everyone on the Island that there is a big horrible beast roaming around the place, which is ready to attack and kill at anytime. Jack got all the boys on his side by using scare tactics.
Ralph, in some ways, parallels a school teacher. He always tries to do what is in the best interest of the community, but sometimes is over powered by the majority and gives in. In over words, he does his best to keep order and peace, but of course can’t all the time because of disagreements, stubbornness and rebellion.
It is hard to find a perfect match for Piggy. He is full of sensible, bright ideas, but because he is fat, a nerd and wears glasses, no one will listen to him except for Ralph. He was also kind of irritating. For example, he followed the rules too much. If something wasn’t done the way he knew was right, he would get all irate. Then, of course, when it went wrong, Piggy had no hesitation in telling people that he could’ve done it better.
When the twins first discovered the dead airman on the top of the mountain, they assumed it was a beast and ran to tell the others.
Our first aspect of Fear in the novel comes into play with the Beast. This fictional character becomes the center of the boys problems on the island and brings a long chaos and death. Simon is murdered due to the befuddlement of Simon being mistaken as the beast when in fact he was the jesus like figure and his death was a representation of sacrifice. The beast was not something tangible it was simply the boys because the beast was themselves. Our biggest demons in life rest within oneself, and on the island the beast was just a justification for the boys to blame their wrong doings on. William Golding refers to this using the role of simon by stating: “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are" (158)?
Ralph has an idealistic view of the world and he always strives for righteousness and perfection in himself and in others. I think that because he expects perfection in this world, he is disappointed with the imperfections in himself and in others as well as the unfairness in the world. Facing difficult situations, one after another in his life, has affected him deeply because of his idealistic view of the world.
"Piggy saw the smile and misinterpreted it as friendliness. There had grown up tacitly among the biguns the opinion that Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labour." (Golding 68)
He alone saw that the jungle, which represented freedom and the lack of civilization, was not to be feared but to be understood; he alone knew that the mythical Beast of the island, feared by all the boys, was, in fact, their own inherent savagery. Through these truths, Simon represents a Christ figure paralleling Christ's misunderstood message and Christ's death. Simon was the observant, the quiet philosopher. He was often alone, sometimes by his own choice, and he liked to wander into the peaceful jungle. He sincerely cared about the other boys, sometimes helping the young ones to fetch fruit, yet "
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.
There are three pieces of evidence supporting the existence of Bigfoot, the first of which is the thousands of eyewitness accounts. The first recorded sighting occurred in 1870 near a small town in California. The town newspaper, the Antioch Ledger, reported that a “gorilla man” or “wild man” had been sighted in the woods near the town. The paper deemed it unsafe to travel outside unless absolutely necessary because of the beast. Next, in 1901, a lumberjack on Vancouver Island reported seeing a “man beast” washing itself in a river near his base camp. The courageous lumberjack decided there and then to approach the beast and confront him. The strange “monkey man” quickly fled, though, as the man approached the river. Upon examining the tracks left behind, the lumberjack concluded that the prints were almost identical to that of a human, except for the extremely large size. After the incident, many reports began pouring in from the Vancouver area of Canada. The residents of the area became well aware of the existence of a very elusive creature in the area, and it was they who first coined the term Bigfoot. By 1960, thousands of reports on the existence of Bigfoot flooded in from all over the United States. The sightings usually occurred in mountainous, woodland areas near rivers and streams. Many thought that those who claimed such things were crazy, but it was at this time that the inevitable happened: Bigfoot was captured on film.
In conclusion, Golding presents Simon as a boy who is prophet-like, mentally powerful and at one with nature. These traits added together give us a goodhearted boy who knows his right from wrong and tries to stick to it as much as possible. The role of Simon in Lord of the Flies is to represent the good traits of the human, which the other boys begin to loose as the book unveils. Overall, Golding tries to show us that not everyone is evil and that there is good in every situation. However by the death of Simon, Golding could be trying to warn the reader that evil overpowers good in this society.
“Simon found for them the fruit that they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage.” (56) This quote describe a lot about Simon, he is the only person shown to help the littluns. Simon is consistently willing to help out, work hard, and work for the greater good of the group. His name literally means “listener” and that’s what Simon does. He is described as shy and timid, and instead of goofing off, or going hunting he sits and listens to the hum of the island in his special place. The other boys call him “queer” and “Strange” but he is simply more reflective than the other
Ralph’s power at the beginning is secure but as the group succumbs to their savage instincts, Ralph’s influence declines as Jack’s rises. This is due mainly to the cruelty and violence that goes on in the story. This cruelty reveals that Ralph’s commitment to civilization and being rescued is so strong that he will not allow himself to change his morals and become cruel like the others. The cruelty in this novel also shows that Ralph is a very intelligent character. His intelligence can be proven because there was a point in the novel when he hunts a boar for the first time and he experiences the thrill of bloodlust. He also attends one of Jack’s feast where he is swept away by the frenzy and participates in the killing of Simon. This is a very tragic moment for Ralph because this is when he realizes the evil that lives within himself and every human being. It is the cruel acts that happen in this novel that reveals Ralph’s character of being intelligent and being able to think deeply about human experiences. He even weeps when getting saved because of his knowledge about the human capacity for
He would much rather Piggy was not on the island and is constantly telling him to shut up because he does not care about what Piggy has to say. He thinks that his time one the island is a time to break against the normal rules that adults impose and to do whatever he wants. He shows this when he decides to turn against Ralph who wants to live a civilised life and to keep things in order. He is pessimistic about their chances of being rescued and does not really want to be rescued because he wants to live on the island away from life and away from adults and away from rules. He is rather bony and has a freckled and crumpled face.
It’s all about what you believe is the right thing, and not caring what people think of you, even if they think you’re a bad guy. Ralph has always hated being the bad guy, and villain in his game. He wanted to be the good guy, and get all the awards at the end of the game, and become the good guy. But when Ralph leaves his game, he realizes that, he had made a big mistake, because he has an important role in the game, and without him, there was no game. This is when he realizes that he actually enjoys being the bad guy. Even though people don’t think that he is good, he does not care what people
The fact that Jack acts like this is very important to the story. Jack’s lust for power and blood sped the story up a lot faster. It’s possible that without Jack the boys wouldn’t even become savage. Jack is also a bully, and forces the boys out of fear into what he wants them to do. In, “The Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding, Jack is pretty much equivalent to a middle school bully, but the circumstances he is in, turns him into something even worse.
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.
Jack sways the minds of his followers away from the world of rational thinking by claiming that he can save them from the fears that haunt them both day and night. Jack claims that “ we’ll close in and beat and beat” (91) when encountering the beast because “we're strong - we hunt”(91). This claim of protection causes boys to trust him as well as follow his every instruction because hope, even false hope, motivates people. Eventually, Jack’s followers stop thinking rationally about their actions and surroundings, slaving to Jack’s every word without a second thought. “The littluns sat solemnly thinking of meat, and dribbling” (142), as Jack instructed them to do, but act blindly towards “the cannon boomed again and the dry palm fronds clattered in a sudden gust of hot wind” ( 142). In addition to not knowing what goes on around them, they also forget about the significance of their actions. When murdering Simon, his attackers seize to refer to him as Simon and solely refer to him as “the beast” (152) because fear of the beast has taken over their thoughts. Even little Percival, who only knows his name and address, forgets it after enduring murder after murder because his mind can no longer thinks about anything but his fears; “Percival Wemys Madison sought in his head for an incantation that had faded clean away” (201). As opposed to fear taking over people, those who possess the ability to think rationally, do not fear the beast. Simon can recognize the goriness behind the actions of Jack and his followers; “The blood and his gaze was held by that ancient inescapable recognition. In Simon’s right temple, a pulse began to beat on the brain” (138). Interestingly, Simon, who can recognize barbaric actions, does not fear the beast. When asked by the beast if he feared him, “Simon shook his head” (143). Simon can see reality clearly, unlike Jack and his followers, because fear has not taken
...ction in the whole novel. Also Simons first instinct is to help which is why he is guided by impulse to do good; it comes naturally to him.