Symbolism In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies
Symbolism of Lord of the Flies
What would you do if your plane crashed on a deserted tropical island surrounded by the isolation of the ocean and strangers whom you’ve never met? In William Goldings Lord of the Flies, a group of boys, the oldest of them being twelve, crash among an inhabited, untamed island where they're forced to adapt, survive, and make life altering choices. During the course of the story the author uses symbolism to express hidden emotions within the characters themselves, and emotions that could draw the reader in and really experience what is happening to these young boys, including a conch, glasses, and an evil beast. In the first few chapters of the novel, two main characters, Piggy and Ralph, find a cream colored …show more content…
Jack, the leader of the hunters on the island and one of the most power hungry boys on the island, finally snaps as Piggy presses him, smacking him, causing Piggy’s glasses to fly off and skid across the rocks, shattering one of the lenses. As the lens is broken, the readers can begin to see that the boys are losing hope and the sight to who they once were. Later on, after Jack makes his own tribe in an attempt to become the main chief on the island, he steals Piggy’s glasses, and William uses this as a symbol that the boy’s innocence is starting to be taken away from them as they spend more time on the island. Through the whole novel, the boys slowly start to lose themselves to the fear they have toward “the beast” that they believe live on the island. As the fear starts to bend some of the characters, it drives them to murder. Using “the beast” as one of the main symbols in the story, it represents the complete loss of humanity and civilization that the characters once had and the beginning of savagery in the boys as they begin to torture one another. As their actions become less humane, it eventually leads to the death of two main characters, Simon and Piggy. Overall, through the whole novel, William Golding uses many instances of symbolism to help drive the story and create a deeper meaning to the boys and the world that they were crashed into, creating
What would you do if your plane crashed on a deserted tropical island surrounded by the isolation of the ocean and strangers whom you’ve never met? In William Goldings Lord of the Flies, a group of boys, the oldest of them being twelve, crash among an inhabited, untamed island where they're forced to adapt, survive, and make life altering choices. During the course of the story the author uses symbolism to express hidden emotions within the characters themselves, and emotions that could draw the reader in and really experience what is happening to these young boys, including a conch, glasses, and an evil beast. In the first few chapters of the novel, two main characters, Piggy and Ralph, find a cream colored …show more content…
Jack, the leader of the hunters on the island and one of the most power hungry boys on the island, finally snaps as Piggy presses him, smacking him, causing Piggy’s glasses to fly off and skid across the rocks, shattering one of the lenses. As the lens is broken, the readers can begin to see that the boys are losing hope and the sight to who they once were. Later on, after Jack makes his own tribe in an attempt to become the main chief on the island, he steals Piggy’s glasses, and William uses this as a symbol that the boy’s innocence is starting to be taken away from them as they spend more time on the island. Through the whole novel, the boys slowly start to lose themselves to the fear they have toward “the beast” that they believe live on the island. As the fear starts to bend some of the characters, it drives them to murder. Using “the beast” as one of the main symbols in the story, it represents the complete loss of humanity and civilization that the characters once had and the beginning of savagery in the boys as they begin to torture one another. As their actions become less humane, it eventually leads to the death of two main characters, Simon and Piggy. Overall, through the whole novel, William Golding uses many instances of symbolism to help drive the story and create a deeper meaning to the boys and the world that they were crashed into, creating