More handpicked essays just for you.
Lord of the flies characterization and theme essay
Lord of the flies characterization and theme essay
Civilization vs. savagery
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Symbolism plays a key role in the novel The Lord of the Flies. Not only are specific items mentioned in the book symbolic, but the entire book as a whole is allegorical. The downfall towards savagery occurring on the island is better understood after examining the symbolism of the island, the boys living on the island, and the lord of the flies. The island on which the young boys’ plane crashes is a small island located in the Pacific Ocean. Allegorically, the island is presented as the Garden of Eden, because it begins civilized and in harmony with God, until the sin and corruption of man take over and the island breaks into chaos. The area where the plane crashes is referred to by the boys as the scar and holds a lot of symbolism. It shows how easily man can ruin a beautiful paradise just by stepping foot on the island. The island is in the shape of a lifeboat and symbolizes the hope of being rescued that the boys on the island try to hold on to. When Ralph begins to lose all hope, Simon says, “All the same. You’ll get home alright. I think so anyway” …show more content…
(Golding 111), the conversation continues retaining Ralph’s hope while also foreshadowing the death of Simon. The island is a place free of influences where the boys can let their inner savagery emerge. Each boy on the island plays an essential role in the story and has their own characteristics of symbolism.
Jack the tall, lanky red-haired boy symbolizes savagery, evil, and the desire for power. Jack cannot handle being in control of a situation and is constantly fighting with Raloh for power. Ralph represents order, civilization, and leadership. Ralph may not be a perfect chief, but he steps up to the plate when needed; when Jack needs someone to join him on the mountain Ralph says, “I’m chief. I’ll go. Don’t argue” (Golding 109). That is not Ralph answering to Jack, it is the chief inside him, the one who knows positivity and courage are contagious. Piggy represents science and reason. Piggy dies near the end of the story, throwing the entire island into chaos with no hope of regaining any type of reasonable civilization. The boys are the most essential symbolic references throughout the
story. The character of the Lord of the Flies is debatably the most important and essential character in this book. Lord of the Flies translated into Hebrew means Beelzebub, which is the name for one of the seven princes of hell. Beelzebub is described as a demonic fly. The symbolism is to show the power of evil within everyone. In a biblical allegory, the Lord of the Flies is Satan speaking directly to Jesus, trying to tempt him to sin and turn away from God. Simon, the only one who knows the truth of the beast says,” Maybe there is a beast… Maybe it’s only us” (Golding ). The Lord of the Flies shows us the evil in everyone even if we may not wish to see it.
The book Lord of the Flies has changing symbolic values in objects and places. These values reflect humanity's nature to become savage. This is demonstrated by the symbols in their mirroring of the boys. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the meaning of symbols evolve throughout the story with the conch standing for civilization and then the breakdown of order in society, Piggy’s specs meaning knowledge then Jack’s power, and the fire first representing hope then ultimately destruction.
William Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies to draw attention to the chaos in society during the Second World War. Throughout the novel, there is a large amount of symbolism that gives the readers a better understanding of his ideas and concepts. There are many symbolic objects in the Lord of the Flies that help to expand his perception of the Second World War and his theme of there being a little bit of evil and savagery in everyone. Three of the most important symbolic objects are Piggy’s glasses, the conch shell, and the signal fire.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies there are many examples of symbolism. The conch shell represents order, the appearance of the boys represents savagery, and the fire on top of the mountain represents rescue. These examples are all symbols in the book.
The impact of Jack’s savagery on the island leads to the boys forgetting the real truth about about themselves. The boys on the island are able to explain that human are evil from the beginning and that they aren’t impacted by society. The boys see the island as a place where they are free from the adult world and without any rules. The boys don’t realize that a world without rules causes the chaos on the island and the savagery within the boys. Jack’s authoritative power forces him to push the rest of the boys out of their comfort zone by making them evil being that was not there true identity before. Upon realizing that the savagery they had obtained was only destroying themselves they “wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart”(202). The power that was developed by Jack impacts everyone and destroys all of the lives that rejected him. Piggy who was the most knowledgeable character and also the weakest character was often disrespected by Jack because he opposed Jack’s power and recognizes that his power not voted for. As as result, Piggy is killed by Jack’s own boys because they too have been impacted by brute force. They killed piggy just like how they hunted pigs. Next, Simon's death reflects the rejections of religion and the idea that the
Lord of the Flies takes place on an uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean. The Island is likely near or on the Equator because the type of vegetation that grows on the Island indicates that the Island is of a tropical kind. The boys discover this Island while on a plane that crashes and the boys find shelter on the Island. The Island has no human inhabitants on it besides the boys and its main inhabitants are pigs. The Island’s landscape includes a jungle, a forest, a mountain, and a small lagoon. On one side of the Island, there is a coral reef and the deep blue ocean and on the other side, it is riddled with rocks and more of the deep blue ocean. There is also a very large rock that appears a bit detached from the island and this is where Jack sets up his headquarters towards the end of the book. The vegetation on the island is mainly palm trees, fruit trees, and vines. None of the plants on the Island
Being a part of a group of children having to adapt after being trapped on a island with no surrounding civilization is an unimaginable situation. However, William Golding shows just how terrifying it can be in his novel, Lord Of The Flies, by his use of symbols to represent hardships. The main symbols, which best portrays characteristics are the fire and the conch; symbols leadership and confidence.
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...
Symbolism pervades throughout the entire narrative of Lord of the Flies and is used to illustrate the fears and tensions that exist within the boys trapped on the island. One of the novel's strength is that it weaves these vivid symbols together to assist its themes and ideas rather than labour them.
Symbolism is a way to use symbols to represent ideas or qualities. In the Lord of the Flies, by William Golding tells a story about boys who are stranded on an island after surviving a plane crash. These children come in contact with many unique elements that symbolize ideas or concepts. On the island we see conflict between Ralph and Jack ultimately symbolising civilization versus savage. The use of symbols such as the conch shell, beast, and even Piggy's specs, demonstrates that humans, when liberated from society's rules, allow their human nature become evil to dominate their idea of civilization.
Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, took place on an isolated tropical island. There were many symbolic items within the story, and their meanings changed as the story developed. The fire was the symbol of hope and civilization at the beginning of the novel, but at the end it had become a fire of destruction. Ralph, in the beginning of the book, stood for leadership and almost perfection, however as the story progresses, he was nothing more than a normal human. The beast, upon its first appearance, symbolized fear, but soon, it represented the savagery within them. The different symbolic figures within the book, such as the fire, Ralph, and the beast, shifted in meaning as the story develops.
One of the most important themes running through the whole story in Lord of the Flies by William Golding is the power of different symbols. Golding frequently uses symbolism, which is the practice of using symbols, especially by investing in things with a symbolic meaning. The main point of each symbol is its use and its effect on each of the characters. They help shape who the characters are and what they will be. The symbols weave their way throughout the story and are more powerful than they first seem.
...ay savage, and thus making the whole island a savage place. Without symbols, Lord of the Flies would be a different story (Literary analysis: Symbolism in Lord of the Flies, by William Golding).
Symbolism is defined as the representation; treatment or interpretation of things as symbolic. In society and in particular, literature, symbolism is a prominent component that helps to illustrate a deeper meaning then perceived by the reader. Symbolism can be anything, a person, place or thing, used to portray something beyond itself. It is used to represent or foreshadow the conclusion of the story. In William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies symbolism of the main characters Ralph, Jack and Simon plays a very important role in helping to show how our society functions and the different types of personalities that exist. An examination of Simon as a symbol of good, Ralph as a symbol of the common man, and Jack as a symbol of evil, clearly illustrates that William Golding uses characters as a symbol of what is really happening in the outside world throughout the novel.
Another thing that was symbolized in the book is the conch shell. The conch is what Ralph blew into to get the boys to come together. At first they established rules, one of them being the person holding the conch is the only person who can speak. The conch symbolizes order among the boys. As time past the boys acted more and more uncivil, and they didn't pay much attention to the conch. At this point, order stated to disintegrate. Towards the end of the novel, when the conch was shattered, all civilization of the boys shattered along with it. There was complete chaos on the island.
In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, symbolism and allegories were used to show how the children who are stranded on an island have a huge struggle with civilization and savagery. Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon are the ones in the novel that struggle with this the most.