Lord of the Flies: William Golding has said that his novel Lord of the Flies was symbolic from the beginning until the end when the boys are rescued. During the course of the novel these symbols are constantly changing, giving us a new interpretation of the island society.
Write an essay that discusses three different significant symbols from the book. Explain the significance of the symbol, why it is symbolic and how over the course of the novel that symbol changes. Make sure to explain why the changes to the symbol are significant to the interpretation of the novel. (remember symbols can be both objects and characters)
In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, three significant symbols throughout the novel include the conch shell, the beast, and the Lord of the Flies. These symbols not only aided in the development of the characters but also in their rescue. By the time the boys are rescued the meaning of each symbol has either been diverted or given a new interpretation.
When the group of boys first arrived at what they believed was a desolate island the conch shell was one of the first things they discovered. Not only used as a form of unification, the conch shell became a tool used to keep order. It placed a system, similar to democracy, in effect for the boys. The conch shells’ sole purpose was to mimic the role of a microphone: in the sense that at group meetings the conch was to be held by each speaker. This system allowed everyone an equal chance to speak their thoughts while remaining uninterrupted.
Throughout the novel, however, the value of the conch shell begins to disintegrate. The conch shell emulates structure among the boys, and without it, the boys begin to lose their rationality. In chapter five even Ralph begins to realize the value of the conch shell is in danger. He is worried if he tries to reassemble a disbanded meeting that the boys will ignore him and forget the importance the conch shell holds. As time on the island begins to pass the value of the once almighty conch loses more and more significance. When Ralph visited Jack’s newly established camp that's when the other boys completely disregarded any authority the conch shell once possessed. Finally, in chapter eleven when
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.
Because man is a symbolic creature, it is natural for human beings to think and analyze in symbols. In fact, analyzing in symbols is a major part of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The novel contains many events and objects that are symbols for something bigger. For example, in the novel, the conch shell is used to maintain semblance of an organized and civilized society, making it a symbol for social order. Another example is the beast, which is also a major symbol.
For a human society to take place, an order is required. From order, comes leadership and authority. Humans create rules in order to protect and look after their society. At times, these rules may fall apart, possibly leading to chaos and destruction. William Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies,” demonstrates to its readers that the conch shell symbolized leadership and authority, as the characters exposed their inner savages.
In the novel Lord of the flies, William Golding uses different sorts of symbols to express different ideas about human life and it’s struggles. Symbols are used in the literature, when one thing represents another thing to give it a totally different meaning that is much deeper than the original meaning. The novel Lord of the flies is about a group of british young boys who survived from a plane crush and landed on an island, they were alone on the island without adult’s supervision. William Golding uses a lot of different elements of symbolism to help give the readers a better understanding of the whole concept of the novel. Even the book itself is named after an important symbol, The Lord of the Flies “the pig’s head on the stick” which represents evil. The most significant symbols that William Golding uses in his novel are the conch shell, piggy’s glasses, and the fire.
Phaedrus once said, “Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many.” In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses different objects to represent more than what they truly are. The symbolic nature that Golding interprets throughout the story shows us that there is a more in depth meaning to these representations than what meets the eye. Thoroughly studying the novel, it reveals the recognition of other symbolic representations as well as the most obvious ones. The most acknowledgeable symbols in this book happen to be the conch shell, the beast and the body paint.
Additionally, a different object that holds great symbolic meaning is the conch. The conch is the lone object holding order within the island. When the conch is broken, the island became a hectic mess. Jack and his followers became savage warriors who were willing to kill anything that got into their way. Sadly, Roger is the only person ready to kill somebody. The conch represents the island’s rule system and order within the island, as well. Without either order or rules, chaos is allowed into people’s lives. As a result, without the conch, terror is released and Roger’s savage nature is permitted to do as it wishes. With the conch on the island, Roger’s evil can be prevented. Jack contributes to the chaos that occurs, as well. Without him, the island is under Ralph’s control and not split into two separate groups. In the novel it states, ’He held the conch before his face and glanced round the mouth. “Then I’ll give him the conch.” “ Conch?” “That’s what this shell’s called. I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” “But-““Look-“ “And he won’t be interrupted, except by me.” Jack was on his feet. “We’ll have rules!” he cried out excitedly. “Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks ‘em-“(33) This quote shows Ralph setting the conch’s importance into the story. Without this tiny passage,
After the boys were marooned on the island, each was alone and unaware of the presence of the other boys. Ralph discovered the conch shell along with his new companion, Piggy. They identified the conch and blew it to bring forth any boys surviving the crash. He continued to blow the conch until, “The sand...concealed many figures in its miles of length” (Golding 18). As the newly discovered children gathered together, order was established throughout the tribe due to the effectiveness of the conch, and the leadership of Ralph. At this point, people obeyed the conch and followed the rule that allows the holder to speak freely. Grudgingly, the people listened to the chief to keep themselves alive, because he was a person of confidence and leadership. However, over time, this motivation slowly started to decrease and the rules were less obeyed. Therefore, the discovery of the conch symbolizes the discovery of order on the island. This is shown because once society starts to fall apart, so does the obedience to the conch.
Lord of the Flies was wrote by William Golding. This book was about a group of boys stranded on an island. It is obvious throughout the novel that some sort of order is trying to be held up, but every attempt ends in failure. However, the conch shell, from the beginning to end, is the only thing that almost succeeds in the attempt to remain civilized. Not only that, but the conch itself holds symbolism. The symbolisms of the conch is both metaphorical and literal. For example, the power that the conch had over the boys is metaphoric because there is no physical power over them, it is a mind trick that the island has put on them. Other symbolism would involve the unity the boys have which is literal because the conch does bring them together. The overall symbolism is the way the conch
As the boys are stranded on the deserted island, in order to survive they copy civilization just like back in England. Authority such as rules and a head chief was much needed. In their quest of the finding such similarities, they come across the conch shell-creamy white- by the ocean. The group of boys take it as a symbol of authority inside the group. Ralph, the main character and the boy who originally found the conch blew it to assemble the group of boys. Minutes go by and Ralph is picked due to the fact that the conch is in his possession. The group of boys used meetings as a way to talk about problems.In fact, the process of this to
In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding the stranded boys come into contact with some particular elements that represent an idea which are called symbols. These symbols include the beast which represents the fear of the unknown and the darkness of mankind. The second symbol is the signal fire which represents hope. The third symbol is the conch shell which represents order. Golding indicates that when man is taken out of civilization, they have a natural instinct is to become evil, darkness and barbaric and these symbols help to support his opinion.
Symbolism. With such an amazing storyline, how can a story like Lord of the Flies by William Golding not contain any symbols that represent something deep within the book. From the trees on the island to the plane crashing, this book is filled with meanings and clues. The ones that stood out the most: the “beast”, the conch, and the fire, will be talked about in this essay. To start, the “beast” will go first.
At first, you may have order, and intelligent power, but it all ends in destruction and loss. Stuck on an island, twenty-five boys and no adults, they rough it out until rescue comes. They faced challenges against mother nature and themselves while waiting to be rescued. When rescue came, it was a bit too late, but they did not lose much because of the most important symbols. The three most prominent symbols used in William Golding’s novel, The Lord of the Flies are the conch, the fire, and the character Piggy.
Symbols are always regarded as crucial literary elements that help the author to enhance the themes in the process of a novel’s unfolding plot. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is credited as one of the best literary works of symbolism within this respect. Golding’s choice of certain objects has directly represented the themes and played important roles in conveying his message to the reader. The novel successfully reveals how a group of school children that are trapped on an isolated island lose their connection with the civilized world. Civilization is one of the main themes of the novel, and its downfall has depicted by the help of symbolic aspects.
In the 1954 novel “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, symbols are evident throughout and are of key importance. William Golding creates a dystopian world, which represents what could happen if society was to fall apart, where some boys crash into an island and set up civilization. The novel is about the boys understanding and overcoming the “beast” inside all of them, while warring with themselves over leadership of the island, and trying to get rescued. Symbolism in the “Lord of the Flies” is represented through social power relations, such as the” fire”, which symbolises and represents their hope of being rescued, and the “conch” symbolises power, law, authority and order. Other symbols include the “Lord of the flies”, which is a pig’s head on a stick, and it symbolises savagery and destruction.
Even the “littluns”, who might even be too young to comprehend their situation on the deserted island, understand the power of the conch. “They obeyed the summons of the conch partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority […]” (Golding 59). In the beginning, the conch served as a symbol of order, but as soon as the boys forget about it, it was chaos ensues on the beach. For example, when Ralph mentions that they need a fire, all the boys got to their feet and ran in a disorderly manner to make a fire. Soon enough Jack Peridew begins questioning the authority of the conch by exclaiming that the rules do not matter (Golding 91). This begins the demise of the authority of the shell that will ultimately lead to the boys’ path to savagery.