lord of the flies essay symbolism

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Lord of The Flies — Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding

Symbolism in "Lord of The Flies" by William Golding

• Categories: Lord of The Flies Symbolism

About this sample

Words: 1210 |

Published: Jul 17, 2018

Words: 1210 | Pages: 2 | 7 min read

William Golding,Glasses,Lord of the Flies,Novel,Symbols,BOY,Birthmark

• Bruns, B. (2008). The symbolism of power in William Golding’s Lord of The Flies. (https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A132457&dswid=-4646)
• Li, X., & Wu, W. (2009). On Symbolic Significance of Characters in” Lord of the Flies”. English Language Teaching, 2(1), 119-122. (https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1082261)
• Fitzgerald, J. F., & Kayser, J. R. (1992). Golding’s” Lord of the Flies”: pride as original sin. Studies in the Novel, 24(1), 78-88. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/29532839)
• Faryyad, F., Ajmal, M., & Ali, S. (2020). A Corpus-Based Study of Symbolism in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(04). (https://www.academia.edu/39112023/Symbolism_in_William_Goldings_Lord_of_the_Flies)
• Kruger, A. (1999). Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The Explicator, 57(3), 167-169. (https://doi.org/10.1080/00144949909596859)

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 435 words

2.5 pages / 1080 words

2 pages / 721 words

2 pages / 887 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Human beings have long been fascinated with the idea of personifying animals, objects, and even concepts. Personification allows us to relate to and understand these entities in a way that feels familiar and relatable, ascribing [...]

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel that has been studied by students and scholars alike for its intricate portrayal of human nature. The novel is set on a deserted island where a group of boys are left to fend for [...]

Lord Of The Flies is a novel written by William Golding, first published in 1954. The story follows a group of young boys who are stranded on a deserted island and must fend for themselves. Among the characters in the novel, one [...]

In William Golding's classic novel, Lord of the Flies, Piggy's glasses serve as a powerful symbol that conveys deeper meanings and themes within the story. While Piggy himself represents reason, intelligence, and civilization in [...]

Leadership is directing a group of people to work together towards a common goal while assuring nobody's fundamental human rights are taken away from them. While reading Lord of the Flies, many teachers and historians argue if [...]

It was a dark scary night. Nothing could be clearly seen. Loud thunder roared as thick drops of rain fell on the ground. Nothing could be heard but the sound of thunder. A group of agitated and aggressive boys danced with fear [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

The Lord of the Flies Symbolism – Overview of Symbols

Home » Literature Explained – Literary Synopses and Book Summaries » Lord of the Flies » The Lord of the Flies Symbolism – Overview of Symbols

Lord of the Flies Symbolism

This novel takes place on a deserted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The island is tropical and full of plants and animals that help to enhance the sense of “wildness” that pervades throughout the story’s events. While much of the events that take place on the island are violent and chaotic, it’s important to see this as a representation for the world at large. We find out in the beginning of the novel that the boys were being evacuated from England during a violent global war.

Due to author William Golding’s experiences during WWII, this helps to convey the thematic elements that reflect the belief he picked up during war time that humanity possesses a certain amount of inherent evil. Nothing about the setting in this novel will allow audiences to forget this concept.

There are also several motifs that are wonderful supports to the story’s overarching themes and symbolic elements. Major motifs include nature, Biblical references, bullying, and symbols of savagery. These motifs either highlight truths about man’s innate goodness or about humankind’s innate evils. Seeing as the novel explores the juxtaposition between the existence of both these forces, these are important motifs to look out for. You will find them connected to the story’s major symbols, as well. For example, when Simon is looking at the boar’s head on a stick in the beautiful clearing, he ponders the stark contrast between nature’s beauty and what the boys have experienced on the island. During this time, he has an important epiphany and conceptualizes it by imagining the Lord of the Flies.

Symbolism Overview

Here’s a list of major symbols in Lord of the Flies.

The Conch Shell

Piggy’s glasses, the signal fire, the lord of the flies, the groups of boys, symbolism in lord of the flies.

When Jack and his hunters slaughter a sow, they stake its head on a stick as an offering to the best they believe is living on the island. When Simon returns to a beautiful glad and finds the sow’s rotting head there attracting flies, he imagines that it speaks to him as the Lord of the Flies. He tells Simon that every human heart contains evil, which leads Simon to his epiphany that the boys themselves are actually what they hear in the island’s beast. This is also a biblical reference, as “lord of the flies” is a literal translation of Beelzebub, a powerful demon in the Bible.

Throughout the novel, the boys are largely divided. Ralph and his group represent order, intellectualism, and civility. Meanwhile, Jack and his group of hunters represent the wild nature and savagery. Each group of boys symbolizes one side of the dichotomy in human nature: good vs. evil. This is represented in the novel as civilization vs. savagery.

Lord of the Flies Symbolism

Symbolism refers to symbols, or concrete image writers use to convey specific meanings to their readers. Different symbols are used to refer to different things, situations and circumstances that readers understand based on their contexts , environments, and situations. Symbolism in Lord of the Flies conveys various meanings to various readers according to their respective contexts, texts, and situations. Some of the significant symbols used in Lord of the Flies are discussed below.

Symbolism in Lord of the Flies

Piggy finds the conch, a shell, on the seashore and tells Ralph what it is. He also tells him an innovative idea of how and why to use it. It is then used to gather boys and call an assembly. In this connection, it becomes a symbol of authority, order, and law. It wins not only respect and obedience but also proves that the person who is holding the conch has the ultimate authority. When it is with a person, every boy is bound to pay respect and obey him. That is why Jack attacks conch to end the authority and establishes his own rule. The end of conch is an end of the era of law and order.

Piggy’s Glasses

Piggy is handicapped and wears glasses. He also has asthma. His asthmatic disability has blessed him with rational power . On the other hand, his glasses have given him an edge to start a fire. Hence, it becomes a symbol of life which is used to prepare a fire to use as a signal for rescue. It becomes so much significant among the boys that Jack and his hunters attack Ralph and Piggy and their group to snatch the glasses to make their own fire.

The Signal Fire

The signal created by fire by the boys is actually a symbol of life and safety. It also shows that civilization is alive on the island. When the boys determine to stay alive and to return to the civilization, they instantly accept Piggy’s suggestion to light the fire, using his glasses. However, as the boys become lazy and oblivious, they ignore to keep it alive. Hence, the fire eventually dies. Even by the end, it becomes clear that the signal fire is important for the civilized behavior and helped in the safe rescue of the boys.

The beast is actually the head of the parachuting dead soldier hanging by the branches of trees . It is infested with maggots and flies. The only boy who knows the reality of this beast is Simon. However, he fails to explain it to other boys. Therefore, it has transformed into a symbol of something dreadful and terrifying. In fact, this head symbolizes the inner savagery and barbarism of the boys in specific and mankind in general.

The Lord of the Flies

This is the head of a pig that the hunters from Jack’s group impale and plant on a stick to offer a sacrifice to the beast. They believe that the beast which supposedly terrifies them will be pleased. It is a physical representation of their awe towards that beast. The phrase ‘the lord of the flies ’ refer to their naming it as the lord of those flies which swarmed the head of the dead soldier. It symbolizes something that is to be presented as a gift to the beast to hold sway over the flies as it is their lord.

There are mostly young boys on the island, and they all represent innocence. Ralph, with his sensible nature, is a specific representative of civilization and order. It is he who finds the conch and calls others to form an assembly. In this sense, he represents leadership and guidance. Therefore, he is a symbol of law, order, authority and civilization on the island.

In spite of the physical disability, due to weak eyesight and asthma, Piggy has a very clear perspective on things and is also a visionary in his thoughts. He represents those sane voices that are not heard much in the crowd, but they prove true. He shares the idea of lighting the fire by using his glasses. He also gives suggestions for an assembly and formation of rules on the island. In this sense, he is a symbol of rationalism, order, and legitimacy.

Jack does not show much of his true nature at the beginning of the novel . However, he proves highly unpredictable, barbaric and savage by the end. His first posture of being a hunter and an aggressive young boy shows his wild nature. He gathers a pack of boys with painted faces. He announces that they are his hunters and that he would train them for hunting. With the passage of time, they fall into the pit of savagery during hunting and become enemy of the group led by Ralph. They kill Piggy and chase Ralph to kill him next. Hence, Jack becomes a symbol of evil and savagery. He represents the savage culture as opposed to Ralph who represents civilization.

The pig is an animal found on that island. The boys, the group of hunters, led by Jack, find the traces of a pig and start hunting other pigs. With the course of time, it becomes their practice to talk how to hunt pigs and trap them. Once Jack plants the head of a pig on a stick, calling it ‘the lord of the flies’ with the purpose to present it as a sacrificial gift to the beast. Hence, the pig symbolizes a temptation for the boys to leave humanity and turn to savagery and barbarism.

The Naval Officer

The naval officer is a British officer of the Royal Navy. He appears by the end of the novel who comes to the island after seeing the fire. He confronts Ralph who is running for his life from Jack’s hunters. When he sees the boys playing the barbaric game, he scolds them for showing dirty and rude manners unbecoming of the British boys. He asks Ralph about their game and their presence on the island over which Ralph’s eyes are filled with tears. He is hardly able to narrate the barbaric episode to the officer when other boys appear. They instantly become a pack of civilized dirty boys after seeing the officer in uniform with a pistol in his holster. In other words, the naval officer represents order, authority, and culture. His uniform and pistol are symbols of the rule of law and the tools to establish it.

Related posts:

• Lord of the Flies
• Lord of the Flies Quotes
• Lord of the Flies Themes
• Lord of the Flies Characters
• Owl Symbolism
• Hamlet Symbolism
• Symbolism in Advertising
• Examples of Symbolism in Art
• Butterfly Symbolism
• Dragonfly Symbolism
• Square Symbolism
• Flower Symbolism
• The Great Gatsby Symbolism
• The Scarlet Letter Symbolism
• Examples of Symbolism In Christianity
• Examples of Symbolism in Poetry
• Examples of Symbolism in the Bible
• Examples of Symbolism in Song Lyrics
• As The Crow Flies
• Alfred Lord Tennyson
• Symbolism in Branding and Logos
• Lamb to the Slaughter
• Big Brother is Watching You
• If You Can’t Fly, Then Run
• The horror! The horror!
• Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree
• William Golding
• 10 Religious Symbols Of Easter

Post navigation

'Lord of the Flies' Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices

• B.A., English, Rutgers University

Lord of the Flies , William Golding's tale of British schoolboys stranded on a deserted island, is nightmarish and brutal. Through its exploration of themes including good versus evil, illusion versus reality, and chaos versus order, Lord of the Flies raises powerful questions about the nature of humankind.

Good vs. Evil

The central theme of Lord of the Flies is human nature: are we naturally good, naturally evil, or something else entirely? This question runs through the entire novel from beginning to end.

When the boys gather on the beach for the first time, summoned by the sound of the conch, they have not yet internalized the fact that they are now outside the normal bounds of civilization. Notably, one boy, Roger, remembers throwing stones at younger boys but deliberately missing his targets for fear of retribution by adults. The boys decide to set up a democratic society in order to maintain order. They elect Ralph as their leader and create a crude mechanism for discussion and debate, designating that anyone who holds the conch has the right to be heard. They build shelters and show concern for the youngest among them. They also play make believe and other games, exulting in their freedom from chores and rules.

Golding seems to suggest that the democratic society they create is simply another game. The rules are only as effective as their enthusiasm for the game itself. It is notable that at the beginning of the novel, all the boys assume rescue is imminent, and thus that the rules they're accustomed to following will soon be reimposed. As they come to believe that they will not be returned to civilization anytime soon, the boys abandon their game of democratic society, and their behavior becomes increasingly fearful, savage, superstitious, and violent.

Golding’s question is perhaps not whether humans are inherently good or evil, but rather whether these concepts have any true meaning. While it is tempting to see Ralph and Piggy as ‛good’ and Jack and his hunters as ‛evil,’ the truth is more complex. Without Jack’s hunters, the boys would have suffered hunger and deprivation. Ralph, the believer in rules, lacks authority and the ability to enforce his rules, leading to disaster. Jack’s rage and violence leads to the destruction of the world. Piggy’s knowledge and book learning are proven as to be meaningless as his technology, represented by the fire-starting glasses, when they fall into the hands of boys who do not understand them.

All of these issues are mirrored subtly by the war that frames the story. Although only vaguely described, it is clear that the adults outside the island are engaged in a conflict, inviting comparisons and forcing us to consider whether the difference is merely a matter of scale.

Illusion vs. Reality

The nature of reality is explored in several ways in the novel. On the one hand, appearances seem to doom the boys to certain roles—most notably Piggy. Piggy initially expresses the dim hope that he can escape the abuse and bullying of his past through his alliance with Ralph and his usefulness as a well-read child. However, he quickly falls back into the role of the bullied ‛nerd’ and becomes reliant on Ralph’s protection.

On the other hand, many aspects of the island are not clearly perceived by the boys. Their belief in The Beast stems from their own imaginations and fears, but it quickly takes on what seems to the boys to be a physical form. In this way, The Beast becomes very real to the boys. As the belief in The Beast grows, Jack and his hunters descend into savagery. They paint their faces, changing their appearance in order to project a fearsome and frightening visage that belies their true childish nature.

More subtly, what seemed real in the beginning of the book—Ralph’s authority, the power of the conch, the assumption of rescue—slowly erodes over the course of the story, revealed to be nothing more than the rules of an imaginary game. In the end, Ralph is alone, there is no tribe, the conch is destroyed (and Piggy murdered) in the ultimate refutation of its power, and the boys abandon the signal fires, making no effort to prepare for or attract rescue.

At the terrifying climax, Ralph is hunted through the island as everything burns—and then, in a final twist of reality, this descent into horror is revealed to be unreal. Upon discovering they have in fact been rescued, the surviving boys immediately collapse and burst into tears.

Order vs. Chaos

The civilized and reasonable behavior of the boys at the beginning of the novel is predicated on the expected return of an ultimate authority: adult rescuers. When the boys lose faith in the possibility of rescue, their orderly society collapses. In a similar way, the morality of the adult world is governed by a criminal justice system, armed forces, and spiritual codes. If these controlling factors were to be removed, the novel implies, society would quickly collapse into chaos.

Everything in the story is reduced to its power or lack thereof. Piggy’s glasses can start fires, and thus are coveted and fought over. The conch, which symbolizes order and rules, can challenge raw physical power, and so it is destroyed. Jack’s hunters can feed hungry mouths, and thus they have an outsize influence over the other boys, who quickly do as they are told despite their misgivings. Only the return of adults at the end of the novel changes this equation, bringing a more powerful force to the island and instantly reimposing the old rules.

On a superficial level, the novel tells a story of survival in a realistic style. The process of building shelters, gathering food, and seeking rescue are recorded with a high level of detail. However, Golding develops several symbols throughout the story that slowly take on increasing weight and power in the story.

The Conch comes to represent reason and order. In the beginning of the novel, it has the power to quiet the boys and force them to listen to wisdom. As more boys defect to Jack’s chaotic, fascist tribe, the Conch's color fades. In the end, Piggy—the only boy who still has faith in the Conch—is killed trying to protect it.

The Pig’s Head

The Lord of the Flies, as described by a hallucinating Simon, is a pig’s head on a spike being consumed by flies. The Lord of the Flies is a symbol of the increasing savagery of the boys, on display for all to see.

Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon

Each of the boys represent fundamental natures. Ralph represents order. Piggy represents knowledge. Jack represents violence. Simon represents good, and is in fact the only truly selfless boy on the island, which makes his death at the hands of Ralph and the other supposedly civilized boys shocking.

Piggy’s Glasses

Piggy’s glasses are designed to provide clear vision, but they are transformed into a tool to make fire. The glasses serve as a symbol of control more powerful than the Conch. The Conch is purely symbolic, representing rules and order, while the glasses convey true physical power.

The beast represents the unconscious, ignorant terror of the boys. As Simon thinks, "The beast is the boys." It did not exist on the island before their arrival.

Literary Device: Allegory

Lord of the Flies is written in a straightforward style. Golding eschews complex literary devices and simply tells the story in chronological order. However, the entire novel serves as a complex allegory, in which every major character represents some larger aspect of society and the world. Thus, their behavior is in many ways predetermined. Ralph represents society and order, and so he consistently attempts to organize and hold the boys to standards of behavior. Jack represents savagery and primitive fear, and so he consistently devolves to a primitive state.

• 'Lord of the Flies' Summary
• Memorable Quotes From 'Lord of the Flies'
• 'Lord of the Flies' Overview
• 'Lord of the Flies' Characters: Descriptions and Significance
• Lord of the Flies Book Profile
• 'Lord of the Flies' Quotes Explained
• Lord of the Flies: A Critical History
• 10 Classic Novels for Teens
• The Most Commonly Read Books in High School
• 'Lord of the Flies' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'Lord of the Flies' Vocabulary
• Why Is 'Lord of the Flies' Challenged and Banned?
• 9 Must-Read Books If You Like 'Lord of the Flies'
• Controversial and Banned Books
• Biography of William Golding, British Novelist
• 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices

Lord of the Flies

William golding, everything you need for every book you read..

The Lord of the Flies (the Beast) Quotes in Lord of the Flies

The Lord of the Flies (the Beast) Symbol Timeline in Lord of the Flies

Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding Research Paper

Introduction, works cited.

When the story first begins, a group of children is stranded on a deserted, tropical island. The island symbolized freedom as there were no adults there. It seemed like the ideal world to them. William Golding wanted to show that paradise is far from reality.

The beginning setting resembled The Coral Island, a perfect setting – food, sun, friendship, simple democratic organization adventures, and happiness. A simple society was set up to introduce rules on the island to try and resemble their original society. This was accomplished by the symbolic nature of the conch shell. The conch shell represents power and authority and the only rules the children have. The conch shows how people use objects to give power.

At first, the conch was a success. Everyone followed the rules and was happy. It was the perfect Utopia. Later in the story, we also learn that objects don’t always give power when people don’t choose to obey them. This was the case when Jack started to rebel and disobey Ralph’s rules and commands. This was where their perfect Utopia fell apart.

William Golding also wanted to show his readers the true meaning of the real world. He wanted to show that reality is not always perfect. Instead of comradeship, co-operation, and teamwork, like described in the ideal world – William Golding has created a murderous, bloodthirsty and evil society that has accurately represented the world that society exists in today. In an ideal world, hard work plays out and goodness comes to those ends.

In The Lord of the Flies, the fire in the story is lit as a symbol of hope and rescue. In the ideal world – this would have resulted in their rescue, however, rebellion from and murderous acts from Jack resulted in their final rescue and not the original fire. So in reality, we succeed more often from luck instead of hard work.

Lord of the Flies can also be interpreted as an allegory or parable. Ralph, Jack, and the rest were given a choice and the knowledge of good and evil. The island in The Lord Of The Flies resembled the perfect type of Utopia at first, and all they had to do was follow the ‘good laws’ of the adult society. They fell prey to temptations – pride, cruelty, bloodthirstiness, greed, and the desire to hurt and kill. Jack, who was the head of the choir group and who was the also first to follow rules – could not resist these temptations deep within him. And that was why he was taken over to the dark side. (Reilly 49)

Many of the characters in the story are symbolic of really important people. They show how the real world is made up of people. Ralph symbolized a good leader who was the first to try and establish a civilized society and bring rules to the island. Ralph, however, could not control evil people like Jack. Ralph represented Franklin Roosevelt before World War 2, who could not prevent the war from breaking out. Piggy symbolized the educated people who gave good advice which nobody listened to. Piggy represented Albert Einstein when he argued the bad ideas of using the atomic bomb.

Simon symbolized Christ, a holy and angelic figure in the story. It was Simon who discovered that the true evil was the evil coming from one’s own heart. Jack, on the other hand, was a crazy leader who killed and slaughtered because he wanted power.

He broke rules and had a disregard the commands of Ralph. Jack represented Adolf Hitler, who was also evil, arrogant, and dictatorial. William Golding has shown his readers the true reality of our world. Instead of a perfect, happy, and ideal world, he has shown us a world where human life is ruled by the law of the jungle – the survival of the fittest. The Lord of the Flies acts as a miniature summary of the unpleasant lessons of world history. This novel is fulfilled with symbolism, but the ones that stand out the most are Piggy’s glasses and the fire, and the conch.

“His spectacles are used by them as burning glasses”! This quote connects to two symbols which are the fire and Piggy’s glasses. The fire is a symbol of rescue and hope. Without Piggy’s spectacles, they wouldn’t have been able to start a fire. While the novel went on they started another fire but they got sidetracked and the fire went out. Furthermore on in the story, the boys were working very hard to start a fire because they wanted to get rescued, but when it had gone out some boys like Jack didn’t care anymore about being rescued and had decided to give up because he knew he wasn’t going to be. At the end of the novel, Jack started the fire and wanted to ablaze that island to kill Ralph, but instead, it rescued them.

Throughout Lord of the Flies, the most important symbol is the conch. The importance of the conch is that it symbolizes everyone that is speaking, in other words, whoever is holding the conch has the power and right to talk and everyone surrounded by him must be listening. Ralph uses it to call meetings and for the boys to come. “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking”. The conch shows much power and a step towards the organization.

The plot is fairly simple but some very complex themes and symbolism are woven into it. The story starts with a group of young boys being marooned on an island previously uninhabited by mankind. They discover they are alone; there are no adults and they struggle to survive and to form a civilized society. This eventually leads to chaos, the breakdown of order and reason, and a return to man’s most primitive instincts. It is quite a disturbing book, which makes the reader look at the dark side of man’s soul.

The first symbol the reader encounters is the island itself. It represents the whole world. The island seems like paradise, it reminds us of the biblical Garden of Eden, a place where everything is perfect until humankind arrives. Golding deliberately makes the island remote from the rest of civilization to allow him to reveal the true nature of the characters and the world they create for themselves. The boys symbolize the whole of mankind. (Baker 401) They create their little world on the island. Their isolation from the rest of the world allows the author to experiment with them. The characters all remind the reader of people they know and so seem very real.

When Ralph finds the conch he makes it the first rule that whoever has the conch is allowed to speak and everyone else has to listen to them because he realizes that they need something to represent authority and rules. This shows that they have discovered the importance of communication in society. Language is unique to humans and is one of the things that make us different from animals. Towards the end of the story, the conch gets broken, this is a major turning point in the plot and symbolizes the breakdown of communication, the disintegration of society, and the point where the boys allow their primitive instincts to take over, making them almost animals.

Early in the book, Piggy, one of the boys, is made fun of about his appearance, including the fact that he wears glasses. In the boys’ first few hours Jack points out that Piggy’s glasses could be used to reflect sunlight onto dry wood to make a signal fire to increase the chance of rescue. They realize that Piggy’s glasses may be the most important thing they have. Piggy’s glasses symbolize the hope of rescue, clear thinking, and being able to see the truth.

When one of the lenses gets broken, things seem to break down and events start to become unclear, no one knows what is going on. When the ‘savages’ steal Piggy’s glass, everything becomes unclear. The glasses are the power of fire and when the savages steal them, Piggy’s group is left helpless with no hope of rescue. So the glasses are a symbol for seeing clearly, and for the power of fire which may lead to the rescue.

The signal fire on the mountain takes on huge importance because it symbolizes hope. It is their only possible way of attracting rescuers. It makes the boys feel secure because it is a link to the outside world and reminds them that there is hope and they are not doomed to a life on the island. (Johnson 132) It is an increasing source of comfort as the story progresses and they become more frightened of the ‘beast’.

When the fire goes out, the boys seem insecure and unsure of what might happen and are frantic to get it lit again. In a way, the signal fire is like a parent watching over them and giving them a kind of protection. When the power of fire is taken away from Piggy and Ralph, they almost abandon hope and eventually go and confront the savages and ask for the power of fire back.

Each of the main characters comes to symbolize an aspect of humanity. Ralph represents order, leadership, and civilization. Ralph also represents the normal, average boy; there is nothing special about him. He and his actions symbolize that of the majority of young boys. The other characters’ special abilities are measured against Ralph and he is used to showing for example the cleverness of Piggy and the evil in Jack. Throughout the story, Ralph symbolizes growing up or coming to “the end of innocence”. (Babb 120)

Piggy symbolizes the cleverness and sensibleness in the group. He is the first person to point out that no one knows that they are there. “Who knows we’re here? Eh?” He is like the voice of a grown-up, the brains behind Ralph’s actions, and when he is killed, towards the end of the novel, Ralph seems to almost fall apart with no Piggy to tell him what to do and how to do it. “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy.” Jack picks on piggy because he is different; there is no real reason. This bullying is caused by a lack of understanding, the boys’ have never met problems like the ones Piggy has. This can be seen in their lack of understanding of his asthma, or “ass-mar”.

Jack symbolizes evil and savagery. His evil actions are seen from the very start of the novel when he makes fun of Piggy for almost no reason other than his appearance. (Baker 452) “Shut up Fatty.” Jack symbolizes the savagery and lust for power, this is also portrayed from the start when the first thing he thinks is that the group must have hunters and he must be the leader of the hunters. As the story progresses, this lust for power becomes clearer when he starts to express anger and jealousy towards Ralph and eventually starts his tribe, just to be the leader.

Carrying on the Biblical theme Simon also symbolizes Jesus. Jesus is considered by Christians as a miracle being. (Gindin 198) Simon spoke to the devil in the form of the Lord of the Flies just as Jesus spoke to the devil on his forty-night journey across the desert and Simon, like Jesus, predicted his death when talking to the Lord of the Flies.

Roger symbolizes exactly how cruel and brutal one human can be. He is by far the most savage of all the boys; he fully supports Jack in his evilness. Right at the start, he takes a liking to throw rocks and boulders and spears at his fellow boys and he has no regret or sympathy after he commits his violent acts. (Baker 119) He likes to torture, he tortured the little ones, the pig and Piggy. He is the one who eventually murders Piggy by rolling a boulder onto him. His badness goes further than anyone else’s.

The Lord of the Flies is perhaps the most important symbol in the novel. When Simon wanders off by himself he finds a pig’s head on a spear, surrounded by flies, which had been offered to the ‘beast’. Simon begins to hallucinate and imagines that the pig’s head is talking to him. It tells him that the beast is a figure of their imagination. (Friedman 78) This symbolizes that the boys have become insane.

They believe in this ‘beast’ which only exists within them and Simon is the first to realize this. The Lord of the Flies speaks in a voice that could be Jack’ “I’m warning you, I’m going to get waxy. D’you see? You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else we shall do you. See?” Simon rushes back to tell the others that the beast doesn’t exist but before he can tell them, he is killed.

The ‘beast’ that all the boys fear is an important symbol. It shows that the boys have in one respect gone mad. They allow their childish fears to take over their adult reasoning. They all believe in this creature from the start, first of all, it takes the form of a ‘beastie’ that the little ‘uns see – ” a snake-thing. Ever so big.” Next, it takes the form of “the thing that bowed” which was the dead parachutist. Last, of all, it takes the form of the Lord of the Flies. It is the fear of the unknown, fear itself.

There is the symbolism of light and dark. By daylight, all seems fine but the nights on the island symbolize a time when something awful might happen. In the beginning, just the little ‘uns are scared of the dark but later they are all uneasy when darkness falls and there is a general feeling that with the darkness comes uncertainty about what might happen before daylight “Evening came, not with calm beauty but with the threat of violence” – Ralph. Light and dark is a common symbol for good and evil. In the end, Ralph weeps for “the darkness of man’s heart” and this is the whole essence of the book, a child’s realization of how evil one person can become. (Whitley 110)

Towards the end of the novel, after Simon and Piggy are killed, all the boys come to symbolize the instinctive, primitive behavior of early humans. They become one tribe and act with a common instinct. This is shown in Ralph when he is running away from Jack’s tribe “He obeyed an instinct he did not know he possessed.”

In conclusion, the symbolism is what makes the book great. It is what makes the reader think more deeply about what is happening and what reveals the true nature of the characters. Without it, “Lord of the Flies” would be just another children’s adventure story with a very simple plot and not the great work that it is. Lord of the flies is full of symbolism. Throughout the novel, Golding uses symbols that show us a deeper meaning and when you see the symbols you can truly find out what the story is all about symbolism because it is such an important aspect, which runs through the whole book and is crucial to the reader’s understanding of the plot and the development of the characters.

Babb S. Howard: The Novels of William Golding; Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1970.

Baker James R. Critical Essays on William Golding; Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1988.

Baker, James R. “The Decline of Lord of the Flies .” In South Atlantic Quarterly , Vol. 69, 1970, pp. 446-60

Baker, James R., ed. “Why It’s No Go: A Study of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Arizona Quarterly 19 (1963): 393-405.

Friedman, Lawrence S. William Golding. New York: Continuum, 1993.

Gindin, James. William Golding. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1988.

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies . New York: Capricorn Books, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1954.

Johnson, Arnold (1980). Of Earth and Darkness. The Novels of William Golding. Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 132.

Reilly Patrick. Lord of the Flies. Fathers and Sons. New York: Twayne, 1992.

Whitley John S. Golding. Lord of the Flies. London: Edward Arnold, 1970.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, September 14). Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. https://ivypanda.com/essays/symbolism-in-lord-of-the-flies-by-william-golding/

"Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding." IvyPanda , 14 Sept. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/symbolism-in-lord-of-the-flies-by-william-golding/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding'. 14 September.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding." September 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/symbolism-in-lord-of-the-flies-by-william-golding/.

1. IvyPanda . "Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding." September 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/symbolism-in-lord-of-the-flies-by-william-golding/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding." September 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/symbolism-in-lord-of-the-flies-by-william-golding/.

• "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
• Lord of the Flies, an Allegorical Novel by William Golding
• Literature Studies: "Lord of the Flies" by W. Golding
• Evil in "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
• Lord of the Flies: Novel Analysis
• Why the Boys Preserve Their Goals in Lord of Flies by Golding
• Human Nature in "Lord of the Flies" by Golding
• Secrets in the Shell: Summary
• Society: Turning Men Into Monsters
• “Secret in a Shell”: Benefits for Engineers
• Social Democracy as the Ultimate Form of Government: "War of the Worlds" by H. Wells
• Marriage in George Eliot's Novel 'Middlemarch'
• Hesitation and Indeterminacy of Hamlet
• The Realism of The Importance of Being Earnest
• Social Realism of Christian's Companions in Pilgrimage

Lord of the Flies: Symbolism

Imagine a group of young boys who have just crash-landed on a deserted tropical island with no adults or supervision. William Golding showed in his ground breaking novel Lord of the Flies, what may happen in just those circumstances. In his very complicated and diverse novel Golding brings out many ideas and uses many literary devices. Above all others though comes symbolism of three main important objects being the conch, fire, and Piggy’s eyeglasses. Through each of these three symbols Golding shows how the boys adapt and change throughout the novel.

These symbols also help to show each of the boy’s ideals on a variety of elements from human nature to society and its controls. All three of these symbols also change and are one of the most important elements of the story. The first symbol, which is used all throughout the book, is the symbol of the Conch. The conch was a large shell which piggy had first unearthed on the island. The conch shows powers all throughout the book and always commands respect form the boys due to its importance.

The importance and power would best be compared to that of a congregation when a Rabbi removes the torah from the ark, which holds it. The first quote which best shows the importance of the conch is when it is used by Ralph and Piggy to summon all the boys together when they find themselves alone on the island. “The Conch, we can use this to call the others. Have a meeting they’ll come when they hear us- (16). ” Then again at the second meeting we see how the boys are drawn to the Conch and how it is like a magnet to the boys, which draws them to who ever uses it.

By the time Ralph had finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded (32). ” The conch also shows the first idea of civilization and rules. One example is when there is disorder because everyone I talking at once. “Conch, that’s what the shell is called. I’ll give the conch to the next person who speaks. He can hold when he is speaking (33). ” Finally the conch is used for is to show how Piggy does so much to help them and does not get credit for it. It was used that way when Piggy was the first one to see the Conch and Piggy was the one who knew what it was and instructed Ralph on how to use it.

But when all the boys came from the Conch’s noise Ralph got credit for it. The next symbol, which dominates much of the tale, is that of Fire. Fire which to early man was a savior and used for things such as cooking and heating, and which Ralph though would also be there salvation. The fire can be interpreted in many ways. The fire much like the boys starts out good and being used for constructive things. Like getting a ship to save them. “If a ship come by the Island they might notice us. We must make a fire (38).

The fire also shows the responsibility that these boys need but only some of them seem to posses. This I demonstrated when Ralph has Jack and the hunters in control of the fire. And they neglect it in order to go hunting this creates a great conflict. ” There was a ship out there. You said you would keep the fire going and you let it out They may have seen us we might have gone home (70)! ” As you can see the boys are not yet for the responsibility of the Fire and perhaps being in charge of themselves.

Then finally the fire is used sort of as a mirror of the boy’s action. That is as the boys started with good ideals of order and recreating a sense of community eventually all hell broke loose and they lost control of themselves and there own actions. The fire also was started for the useful purpose of getting a boat to save them it to gets out of control and claims the life of the young boy with the large birthmark on his face in the beginning and almost kills Ralph at the end. The final object that is used as a symbol in the novel is the eyeglass of Piggy.

Piggy’s eyeglasses exhibit how the boys on the island use things but don’t take care of them and understand them. The eyeglasses were used to make the fire. ” His specs-use them as burning glasses (40)! ” Then though even though the glasses showed to be useful for starting the fire they are not taken care of eventually broken lost and then destroyed. This is very similar to how the boys on the island treated Piggy. Piggy showed himself to be useful in instances where he found the conch and always worked for order.

But then even though he always wanted to help his fellow boys he is brutally and with out feeling murdered just like one of the real pigs. This shows how the boys’ on the island are actually destroying themselves by destroying every thing that is useful to them. Throughout the novel Golding does a magnificent job of symbolism. Already shown are three main symbols, which play an important role. Through all of these symbols Golding brings emotion thought and symbolism together in Lord of the Flies. The symbols throughout the novel change with the boys and show how they feel about a rage of issues.

More Essays

• Reflection For Lord Of The Flies Informative Essay
• Essay about Evil In Lord Of The Flies Analysis
• William Goldings Lord Of The Flies: Theme Analysis Essay
• Lord Of The Flies Leadership Style Analysis Essay
• John Locke Lord Of The Flies Analysis Essay
• Lord of the Flies: An Analysis
• Lord Of The Flies Characteristics Essay
• Essay on The Role Of Animals In William Goldings Lord Of The Flies
• Darkness And Evil In Lord Of The Flies Essay
• Essay on Symbolism In Wharton’s Ethan Frome

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Lord of the Flies

William Golding

• Literature Notes
• Major Themes
• Lord of the Flies at a Glance
• Book Summary
• About Lord of the Flies
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Character Analysis
• Character Map
• William Golding Biography
• Critical Essays
• Concept, Identity, and Manifestations of the Beast
• Golding's Use of the Fable Structure
• Famous Quotes
• Film Versions
• Full Glossary
• Essay Questions
• Practice Projects
• Cite this Literature Note

Critical Essays Major Themes

Problem of Evil

Lord of the Flies was driven by " Golding 's consideration of human evil, a complex topic that involves an examination not only of human nature but also the causes, effects, and manifestations of evil. It demands also a close observation of the methods or ideologies humankind uses to combat evil and whether those methods are effective. Golding addresses these topics through the intricate allegory of his novel.

When Lord of the Flies was first released in 1954, Golding described the novel's theme in a publicity questionnaire as "an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature." In his 1982 essay A Moving Target , he stated simply "The theme of Lord of the Flies is grief, sheer grief, grief, grief." The novel ends of course with Ralph grieving the indelible mark of evil in each person's heart, an evil he scarcely suspected existed before witnessing its effects on his friends and supporters. The former schoolboys sought unthinkingly to dominate others who were not of their group. They discovered within themselves the urge to inflict pain and enjoyed the accompanying rush of power. When confronted with a choice between reason's civilizing influence and animality's self-indulgent savagery, they choose to abandon the values of the civilization that Ralph represents.

This same choice is made constantly all over the world, all throughout history — the source of the grief Golding sought to convey. He places supposedly innocent schoolboys in the protected environment of an uninhabited tropical island to illustrate the point that savagery is not confined to certain people in particular environments but exists in everyone as a stain on, if not a dominator of, the nobler side of human nature. Golding depicts the smallest boys acting out, in innocence, the same cruel desire for mastery shown by Jack and his tribe while hunting pigs and, later, Ralph. The adults waging the war that marooned the boys on the island are also enacting the desire to rule others.

Ironically, by giving rein to their urge to dominate, the boys find themselves in the grip of a force they can neither understand nor acknowledge. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!" and then laughs at the boys' efforts to externalize their savagery in the form of an animal or other fearsome creature. Simon has the revelation that evil isn't simply a component of human nature, but an active element that seeks expression.

Outlets for Violence

Most societies set up mechanisms to channel aggressive impulses into productive enterprises or projects. On the island, Jack's hunters are successful in providing meat for the group because they tap into their innate ability to commit violence. To the extent that this violence is a reasoned response to the group's needs (for example, to feed for the population), it produces positive effects and outcomes. However, when the violence becomes the motivator and the desired outcome lacks social or moral value beyond itself, as it does with the hunters, at that point the violence becomes evil, savage, and diabolical.

Violence continues to exist in modern society and is institutionalized in the military and politics. Golding develops this theme by having his characters establish a democratic assembly, which is greatly affected by the verbal violence of Jack's power-plays, and an army of hunters, which ultimately forms a small military dictatorship. The boys' assemblies are likened to both ends of the social or civil spectrum, from pre-verbal tribe gatherings to modern governmental institutions, indicating that while the forum for politics has changed over the millennia, the dynamic remains the same.

Continued on next page...

Previous William Golding Biography

Next Major Themes