Symbolism in Lord of the Flies: William Golding Essay Example

However, later in the book, Jack's rebellious group clandestinely took Piggy's glasses. This action held great symbolism as it not only represented stealing the glasses but also signified the loss of unity and brotherhood among the boys.

The glasses symbolize the event that led to Piggy's death and the theft of intelligence from the island. They represent the tension and savagery on the island, as shown through behaviors like hunting, nudity, and wearing face paint. However, amidst this regression, Piggy's glasses stand as a symbol of progress, innovation, and discovery. Even in their desperate situation, the boys attempt to find a way to start a fire.

Jack suggests the concept of rubbing two sticks together, but the boys lack the required wilderness skills to accomplish this. Due to their unpreparedness for nature survival, they must depend on remnants from their former world. Consequently, the breaking of the glasses symbolizes their potential disconnection from the civilized world they left behind. As one lens shatters, a line is crossed. However, it's crucial to acknowledge that these glasses are intended for sight. Sight corresponds to vision and metaphorically represents knowledge.

Piggy possesses knowledge that the other boys lack, such as how to utilize the conch and the importance of laws and order. One of the main reasons he becomes extremely upset when they take his glasses is because his vision becomes impaired without them. Piggy's ability to see is his greatest attribute, the only thing that prevents him from being completely isolated by the other boys and the only way he can be helpful. Consequently, without his glasses, he becomes useless, which is a role nobody desires.

Additionally, the conch holds significant symbolic power on the island as it rivals the authority of a peace officer or a law enforcement member.

Ralph discovered the conch on the beach shore, and when he blew it, the boys gathered. They decided that only the person holding the conch could speak at meetings. Initially, this rule was effective. However, when the hunters let the fire go out, they began to disregard the importance of the conch and its symbolism, signifying a possible civil rebellion to come.

After the tension and rebellion increased, Jack left, taking many of the residents with him. The other tribe showed great disrespect for the conch, sometimes even completely ignoring it. The conch symbolizes power and order. Power is represented by the requirement to hold the conch in order to speak, and order is demonstrated through the meetings it is used to call and preside over. The initial display of the conch's power occurs when the children vote for Ralph as chief simply because he possesses the conch. They say, "Ralph! Ralph! Let him be chief with the trumpet thing." This excerpt highlights how everyone believes that power, responsibility, and leadership skills come from the conch. Another demonstration of the conch's power is its exclusive ability to call a meeting throughout the entire book; wherever the conch is present, that's where the meeting takes place. No other symbol in Lord of the Flies carries such immense power. This is one of the reasons why Jack Merridew disrespects the conch; he wants to break the hold that this symbol has on everyone.

He wishes to demonstrate his legitimacy as

the leader. The Conch also establishes order by requiring the use of the Conch in order to speak during assemblies or meetings. "And another thing. We can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have 'hands up' like at school. " Initially, everyone believes that this approach is the best way to maintain order. However, they soon discover how quickly Ralph abuses the power of the conch. The conch is utilized in various scenes in Lord of the Flies to gather the boys and maintain order. Any boy who wishes to speak must hold the conch, and once they possess it, no one can interrupt them.

The boys have established the "rule of the conch" as a means to govern themselves, representing society's regulations, politics, and freedom of speech. The conch holds significance in the boys' decision to elect a chief, and it grants speaking privileges to whoever possesses it. It is noteworthy that when the conch shatters into numerous pieces, Jack enthusiastically proclaims himself as the new chief. Previously, the conch prevented Jack from assuming a leadership role that suited his preferences because it enabled Piggy to silence the other boys and demand their attention. Without the conch, power becomes available once more, and Jack seizes the opportunity eagerly.

In Lord of the Flies, fire serves multiple purposes. In the beginning, Ralph stresses the significance of maintaining a signal fire to notify any ships passing by the island. However, their initial signal fire becomes unmanageable and leads to at least one boy disappearing (probably due to being burned). Consequently, the fire symbolizes both salvation and destruction. Interestingly, it is Jack who

ignites a fire towards the end of the story with the intention of hunting and killing Ralph. Ironically though, this very fire ultimately results in their rescue.

The meaning of rescue equals destruction can be connected to The Big Massive Allegory of the novel. If the boys’ world is an allegory for the real world, being rescued does not truly save them; it only leads to a bigger scale of violence and destruction. Therefore, rescue equals destruction. In Lord of the Flies, the pighunts represent more than just man's capability for violence and destruction. They also symbolize bloodlust, mass hysteria, and ritual.

In the pivotal pighunt scene, the depiction of a mother pig's slaughter provides a striking description, signaling a disturbing shift in the boys' attitude towards hunting. Previously motivated by mere sustenance, their pursuit now showcases a newfound brutality. Their enjoyment stems not only from securing meat, but also from the sense of dominance they derive from the vulnerable creatures, as well as the thrill of blood on their hands. Several critics view this grim spectacle as analogous to a rape scene, wherein excitement arises from both the bloodshed and their burgeoning sexuality.

In the continuation of the story, the boys repeatedly reenact the pighunt as a ritualistic act, utilizing different boys to portray the role of pigs. However, this "play-acting" takes a horrific turn when Simon is brutally beaten to death by the excited mob. In Lord of the Flies, the concept of the beast initially originates within the boys' imaginations. The younger boys fear things they encounter during the night; rather than being blindly afraid of an incomprehensible entity, they assign

a name and form to their fear in their minds. It is impossible to conquer a "nothing," but one can pursue and eliminate a "something." The subsequent transformation of the beast myth involves the discovery of a deceased parachuting man. It is not merely coincidental that upon glimpsing an obscure, UNKNOWN object, the boys instantly identify it as the beast; it wouldn't be unexpected if they were relieved to finally witness its existence. This parallels how horror filmmakers withhold explicit depictions of horror, as one's imagination surpasses anything visual. Significantly, Golding opts to embody the manifestation of the boys' fear as a man – specifically, a soldier returning from war.

Despite Piggy's request for a "sign" from the adult world, the parachuting man arrives as a response. It is ironic that the adults can only present a man who has been killed by their own violence, which foreshadows the allegory and the conclusion of the novel. At this point, we gain deeper comprehension of the beast through Piggy's explanation that it is merely fear and Simon's insistence that it is "only us." This comment is intriguing because the beast is literally "only us" in the form of a person who fell from the sky.

The twins discuss a creature they encountered, describing its attributes as having "teeth" and "eyes," which are characteristics shared with humans. Simon agrees with this observation in several ways. Ralph and Jack mistake the deceased individual for a "giant ape," indicating that humans are essentially giant apes. However, Simon's statement about the beast being "only us" refers to the darkness present within each person. Later on, the Lord of

the Flies suggests that hunting and killing the beast is futile because it exists within all of us; it cannot be perceived, given a physical form, or defeated. During Simon's contemplation with the pig's head, he comprehends that the Lord of the Flies claims to be the very beast itself; this verifies that hunting and killing it is impossible since they have already hunted and killed a pig yet it still communicates.

Even later, Ralph smashes the skull, but its smile widens to six feet across as it lies grinning at the sky. The skull refuses to die and it torments Ralph because it knows all the answers but won't reveal them. This silence of the devilish pig's head is significant to Ralph, considering that it had previously spoken to Simon four chapters earlier. It appears that the Lord of the Flies had shared its wisdom only with Simon. When Simon died, he took that wisdom with him. So, what wisdom are we referring to?

Simon already had a sense that the beast represented the darkness within humanity. However, the talking pig's head confirms this, whispering to him, "I'm part of you [...] close, close, close." We previously attributed Ralph's savage moments to his hair, but we were mistaken. In reality, Ralph's hair serves as a symbol for his increasing savagery. This unkempt mass of hair develops a life of its own. The narrative consistently emphasizes that it covers Ralph's face, that he desires to cut it, and that it makes him feel unclean and uncivilized.

The significance of the hair becomes clear from the beginning of the novel when it is

mentioned that, "The boy with fair hair lowered himself down..." Living in a civilized society allows for the privilege of getting one's hair cut, which Ralph and the other boys have had to give up on the island. This also implies that they have been on the island for a considerable amount of time, rather than just a short vacation. Moreover, their uncontrolled hair growth reflects the increasing violence and savage incidents happening on the island.

After rebelling against the tribe, Jack hosted a feast, explicitly stating his disregard for the conch's authority on his part of the island, symbolizing his rejection of rules and regulations. Ultimately, both the conch and Piggy met their demise, signifying the beginning of Ralph's downfall had it not been for the navy rescuing him. The destruction of the conch marked the complete transition to savagery by the boys. Hence, the conch held significant symbolic value in representing the savagery present on the island. Lastly, the victims targeted by the hunters themselves exemplify how the boys' morals were eroded by their savage actions on the island.

In the beginning, Jack tried to kill a pig but was too afraid of the blood. During this time, the boys were peaceful on the island with few conflicts. However, this tranquility didn't last long because Jack and his hunters chose to hunt instead of maintaining the fire. Although they successfully hunted and killed a pig, it caused a disagreement between Jack and Ralph. Later, they discovered a passing ship which meant that Jack's absence could have delayed their rescue by several weeks. This kill not only signaled the decline on the

island but also sparked their first significant conflict.

The subsequent successful hunt was not merely the slaughtering of a pig, but specifically a mother pig. This action is even more detestable because when you kill the mother pig, you also eliminate her offspring, as these little pigs have no one else to rely on. Additionally, this act is short-sighted because eliminating a large number of pigs for a small feast will soon result in a scarcity of food on the island. Moreover, killing this Sow (mother pig) symbolizes the escalation of savagery and morally corrupt behavior. Unfortunately, the savagery did not conclude there; while it may be argued that it was unintentional, Simon met his demise due to the chanting of the hunters.

The true meaning of savagery in this situation is seen in Jack and the hunters' complete absence of remorse. The killing of Simon deeply troubled Ralph and Piggy, symbolizing the humanity that still existed within them. Tragically, Piggy lost his life while trying to retrieve his glasses from Jack and the hunters, emphasizing their descent into savagery. This murder, although partly intentional, was executed without any sense of guilt towards the victim. Additionally, Jack used this incident as a warning to Ralph, showcasing the repercussions of challenging his authority.

In conclusion, the attempted murder of Ralph was the ultimate manifestation of absolute evil, signifying the complete transition from a moral society to a savage hell. If they had succeeded in killing him, they would have initially felt no remorse or regret. This act serves as the most prominent symbol reflecting the shift from order to chaos. Golding effectively employed

symbolism throughout the book to portray the state of the boys' society and its gradual descent into an impious microcosm.