Religion is part of peoples’ everyday lives and its imagery is often seen throughout literature. The novel Lord of the Flies is about young boys who endure a plane crash and become stranded on an island without adults. Religious imagery can be found in the novel and the novel is frequently referred to as a biblical allegory. In the novel Lord of the Flies, religious symbolism is represented through characters, setting, and circumstances reflecting Christian parallels. In the novel, one of the main characters, Simon, has many attributes that make him a Christ-like figure. Simon represents Christ’s overall goodness. Simon is the most caring and insightful boys on the island. He seeks to gain truth and understanding, while attempting to share it with the rest of the boys. Simon’s conversation with The Lord of the Flies alludes to Jesus’ conversation with the Devil during his forty days and nights in the desert. In the end, Simon’s understanding of the truth that “…maybe [the beast is] only [the boys]” (Golding 126) scared the others. Simon’s and Jesus’ deaths are similar in that way; they were both misunderstood and killed by their peers because of what they believed in. …show more content…
Similar to the devil, The Lord of the Flies is the root of all evil in the novel. In fact, “Lord of the Flies” is a translation from the Greek word “Beelzebub,” meaning “devil.” The Lord of the Flies is powerful and Simon explains it as having “the voice of a schoolmaster” (Golding 206). For the boys, the pig head on a stick becomes the symbol for their savage behavior. The Lord of the Flies can also be paralleled to the devil through Simon’s conversation with it. The conversation is similar to that of the one between Jesus and the Devil during Jesus’ forty days and nights in the desert. Through the characteristics given to The Lord of the Flies, a devil component is
The Lord of the Flies has many themes, there is one that stands out the most which is the biblical theory. The biblical allusion is used throughout the book in the Lord of the Flies. There are many attributes throughout the book that are quite similar to each other. The Lord of the Flies shows the bible through Simon and Jack. Simon is as a Jesus like figure, He is the one that new that this beast comes from human hand. He was ridiculed, and many people didn’t like for how smart he was. Jack is the darkness when he hunts and everything he does. In the end the bible is like the Lord of the Flies.
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, there is an allusion that predominates in the work. Simon portrays this allusion to the Bible in the novel and sustains this
Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel in which every person, place, thing, and event creates a parallel to another theme or idea. Golding uses these symbols to represent a much more complex idea. Overall, symbolism played an important role to develop the plot, as well as the overall theme. The main theme portrayed throughout the novel is the idea that savagery is within every person. Golding’s use of various symbols throughout Lord of the Flies, including the conch, the fire, Piggy’s glasses, and Ralph’s hair, show the boys’ gradual loss of civilization as events on the island bring out the savagery within them.
Golding obviously had the pig’s head be named lord of the flies because it translates to Beezlebub, which happens to be another term for Satan. It was very emblematic when Simon had a conversation with him because it showed how Simon was right when he said “maybe it’s only us…” (Golding 77) meaning that maybe the beast is only located within them, and William Golding meant that to be sin. Then came the scene in the book when Simon came across the pig’s head, he was actually having a conversation with the head, which supports the claim that Simon made before on page 77. Simon was having an internal conversation with “satan” and satan is the man that really represents sin itself, so Golding put that scene in to support what Simon said about the beast being in all of them.
One of the most evident parallels between Lord of the Flies and the Bible is Simon and Jesus Christ. He is mature and insightful, realizing the beast was inside of the boys rather than a real creature before anybody else made the connection. He is shy at times, but comes through as a leader alongside Ralph when he believes something needs to be shared. Christ was known to be kind-hearted and wise by his followers and other citizens, and spread the word to everybody in a light and peaceful manner. One example of Simon’s wisdom is after he and Ralph were building shelters on the beach. “He turned his back on this and walked into the forest with an air of purpose (Golding, 55)” A large chunk of chapter three consists of Simon almost being one with the nature surrounding with him, and him having a spiritual connection with the forest. Then when he finds his hidden place, it further proves his wisdom and how he understands the value of detachment and alone time. Jesus shared some of these beliefs as well, as he would often leave his disciples and go into the wilderness to pray alone in order to seek a higher power and progress his faith. While Simon is alone he also “found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands. (Golding, 56)” Likewise, Christ often opened his heart to children, showing them love and compassion when others wouldn’t. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said “Let the children
Lord of the Flies is a literary work of genius. Penned by William Golding, this work is well known as a classic all athwart the United States of America. Throughout the book, symbolism is continuously used to represent the inner workings of the minds of the children stuck on the island. One of the most well known attributes to the book, is the symbol of the beast. The beast can be seen as one of the main antagonists of the book.
In the story, Lord of the Flies, there are many biblical allusions; Simon represents Jesus, the pig’s head represents Satan or rather their satanic sides, Jack represents Judas, and the island represents the Garden of Eden. Through out this novel these allusions play large parts in the story and ideals place in the story.
The Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel since it contains a multitude of emblems exemplifying the stories allegorical and literal meanings. The allegorical level reveals the large philosophic concepts such as savageness and capacity for evil. The literal level is what grabs our attention by using the characters and physical conflict. The entire story deliberately expresses symbolism. By doing this the Island and children's behaviors allegorical representations become extremely evident. This story's double meaning plays a key role in the understanding of the striplings unfortunate situation.
Ultimately, I’ve come to a conclusion that the “Lord of the flies” represent the Devil in many ways. In chapter 8, when the Lord of the flies speaks to Simon he says this, “I’m warning you. I’m going to get angry. D’you see? You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else.” The Lord of the flies already foreshadows and guarantees death upon Simon. This reminds me of then Jesus and Satan come face to face on a rock, which was the ultimate test. This test was used to see if Jesus, the true Son of God, will fail, and go with Satan, or forget the temptations, and do what’s right. Jesus, like Simon, did not fall into the temptations of Lucifer. Causing them later on in their life to die. Why is it the good people die before the bad? Why is it that those who sin greatly, and choose to worship Satan tend to live longer and more successful? But those who believe in doing right, and know what is truly good tend to
The novel is the lord of the flies, the allegory is that humans are bent on destroying each other. The book is about a group of boys that crash land on an island during a world war and they have no parents with them so they are free to do whatever they feel. So one boy named Ralph was dedicated to make them survive, and this kid named Piggy helped him do so. They called a group of boys with a conch and set up for survival. One of the boys named Jack was jealous of Ralph and started to rebel against him which wound up causing 2 deaths and the island to burn down.
In society, evil is seen as a black and white concept that impacts actions of creatures of the dark and unimaginable villains. However, in Lord of the Flies by William Golding, evil is seen as a corporeal presence that takes shape in all. While the Bible is a tale that speaks on how the ineffable pull of faith oppresses the voices of sin and temptation, Lord of the Flies demonstrates how evil is more tangible than people naturally believe. The novel centers around school children trapped on an island and forced to make their own society, rules, and organization. However, the collection of boys must survive the island amongst a “Beast” and accept the savagery that marks their lives.
In 1954, William Golding published the allegorical novella The Lord of The Flies. It told the story of a group of boys who were marooned on an island in the pacific. Among the survivors were Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon. Piggy and Ralph find a Conch to call everyone together. Ralph is elected the leader and Jack as the head hunter. There are some kids starting to say that they saw a “beastie” but Ralph does not worry about it. One night an aerial battle over the island ensues and a dead parachutist jumps out of a plane and lands on the island. A few boys investigate and mistake the body for the “beastie”. Jack breaks from Ralph's tribe and forms his own. He and his tribe hunt a pig and put it’s head on a stick. Simon goes near the head and
Lord of the Flies is an allegory containing a lot of symbolism. The novel takes place during the beginning of World War II. It begins when a boy named Ralph finds himself alone in an island after the plane he was traveling in was attacked. He encounters a boy named Piggy and together they find a pink, cream coloured conch which they use to call other boys that were lost on the island. Amongst these kids that arrived were Jack, Simon, Roger, and Sam and Eric. All the boys gathered around the conch for meetings where decisions were made. This part of the novel represents the creation of an ordered society and the implication of some sort of civilization. The thought of civilization brings comfort to the boys but there is difficulties in keeping
The novel Lord of the Flies, which takes place in the 1950s, opens with a group of British school boys, ages six to twelve, who have been stranded on an island and are now isolated from society. They were now required to be independent, and the boys originally reacted with the creation of rules and an attempt at a functioning society. However, as the book progresses there is more emphasis on hunting rather than order, and they become more isolated from the outside world. They are given unrestricted freedom, and commit horrible actions due to that. William Golding, the author, develops a psychological allegory: when a structured society is given freedom, it will lead to chaos; using the symbols of the signal fire, the conch, and the beast.
William Golding’s writing apex was his novel Lord Of The Flies, this novel delves into the darker sides of humanity. One significant allegory in the novel is the “beast.” The meaning of this parallel defines the meaning of the novel, so what does it mean? The beast is the manifestation of the children’s internal turmoils. It starts juvenile, initially representing their elemental fears, then evolves to the volatile acts of war, before finally maturing to an obtuse understanding of the chaotic world around them: the cynical, yet tested truth that man is inherently evil.