The Golden Symbols in Lord of The Flies by William Golding

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Usually, items and situations are taken at face value. To recognize symbolism takes quite a sharp mind. Even with the quick mind, some still will not catch complete meanings of certain symbols. Symbols tend to stand for only one thing. They will stand for life or death or anything you can imagine. Sometimes, it can be seen that symbols can stand for more than one thing. William Golding finds a way to make a few of the symbols in his novel mean two things. In Lord of the Flies, Golding writes of a pig’s head, an island, and a fire that can have two very different meanings.
Golding was born on September 19, 1911 in St. Columb Minor, United Kingdom. His parents, Alec and Mildred Golding, expected much of Golding from a young age. Golding’s father was a schoolmaster and his mother was an early suffragette and feminist. As a child, Golding did not have many acquaintances besides family and his nurse. He had a passion for reading and words, but did not greatly enjoy math. He attended Marlborough School for his secondary education, and afterwards went to Brasenose College, Oxford, with a plan to study science. Two years later, Golding found that he did not enjoy studying science, and instead focused on literature. While in Oxford, Golding started to write poetry, and it eventually became published. After graduating, he worked as a social worker at a London settlement house, and married Ann Brookfield, am analytical chemist, in 1939. Soon after marrying Brookfield, Golding followed in his father’s footsteps and became an English and philosophy teacher. Because of the German invasion, Golding served in the Royal Navy for most of the war years. Although he made light of the war, he witnessed horrible things. Golding has written many nov...

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... as a Source of Irony in Golding's Lord of the Flies." The Hebrew University Studies in Literature 9.1 (Spring 1981): 126-138. Rpt. in Children's Literature Review. Ed. Allison Marion. Vol. 94. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Koopmans, Andy. "Critical Analysis of the Novel." Understanding Lord of the Flies. Farmington Hills: Lucent, 2003. 69-85. Print. Understanding Great Literature.
Rosenfield, Claire. "'Men of a Smaller Growth': A Psychological Analysis of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies.'" Literature and Psychology 11.4 (Autumn 1961): 93-101. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk. Vol. 58. Detroit: Gale Research, 1990. Literature Resource Center. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
"William Golding." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 44. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Biography in Context. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

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