Symbols Essay

There are many symbols in “lord of the flies by William Golding. Through out the book Golding uses objects and characters as symbols to create an underling theme and mood to the book. The most prominent symbols are the conch, the head of the sow, the signal fire, the beast and of course the boulder that crushed Piggy.

The conch through out the story represents power and humility. At the beginning Piggy finds it and Ralph uses it to call the school boys to a meeting. At that meeting Ralph decides that only the people holding the conch is allowed to talk at meetings. This very literally translates to power because only the holder can call meetings and talk. However as the story continues the power of the shell is washed away with the boys sense for rules and order. Near the end of the book when Ralph and Jack fight Piggy is killed and the conch is crushed. This symbolizes the last strands of civilized life being broken.

In this story the sows head represents evil and darkness. This is emphasized when Simon comes upon it in the jungle and it speaks to him. What Simon is told by the head makes the reader feel like the boys are being controlled by this devilish influence haunting the island. The fact that the head is a ritualistic offering to a god of darkness which the boys most please with there barbaric acts is also a dark image. The head named “Lord of the flies” has a literal translation to a biblical character that is a demon or devil from the underworld.

The signal fire is a source which we can compare to amount of civilization left in the boys. At the beginning when the fire is started, but over time the fire is neglected as the amount of control and civility the boys have decreases. Through out the novel Ralph emphasizes the importance of this fire but the boys grow weary of Ralph’s plea and neglect to continue the signal fire. Ironically it is a signal fire that saves the boys but one that is set by Jack to burn Ralph out of the jungle.

At the beginning of the story the young boys are plagued with the idea of being killed by the beast. However as the story goes on the boys begin to worship the beast and make offerings to it. This is another symbol that represents darkness and evil. The appreciation for the beast is paralleled by the amount of savagery in the group. As the felling of civilization disappears the beast is treated more and more like a god.

Another memorable symbol from this book is the red rock that kills piggy. Rocks in literature usually represent power and strength but since its painted red it represents the violence around strength and power. When the rock falls and kills piggy and crushes the conch bringing civilization to an end, and the boys who have total disregard for Piggy’s life have turned into complete savages.

These are few of the symbols from the “lord of the flies. Through out the novel Golding uses these to illustrate his theme of darkness and humanities ability to kill when put to it. Some of these objects would be seemingly insignificant in real life but are very important to this books theme.

The Darkness of a Man's Heart

The darkness in a man’s heart is easily seen many times through out the “lord of the flies”. The savage beating of Simon is the first that often comes to mind. The boys go out of control and they don’t recognize Simon when he comes out of the forest and savagly kill him. Also the fact that Ralph’s plea to create order and civilization is shut down by Jack is a cruel and unfair act. The use of the pigs head for a sacrifice as a way to please the beast has very dark imagery surrounding it. Overall the whole book is a metaphor for the darkness that can be created by people that come from a civilized place.

The 1990's Movie vs. The Book

The movie has many differences and similarities to the book. First of the boys are gathered on the beach already when the movie starts rather than being called by Ralph with the conch. Another strange difference is that the boys in the movie are American not British. The other difference I noticed was the that the beast instead of being a parachute was the insane pilot. Other than these the book and film are very similar. Overall the movie portrayed the book very well. One of the best movie's I have seen that was based on a book.

Quotation 4th Quarter

“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.” Chapter 12

Even though Ralph was saved could help but cry at the thing he had seen. Reflecting back on the the evil he saw emerge from man’s heart he thought of Piggy. The death of a good friend for no reason. This quote almost doesn’t let the book end it makes you think about all that has happened and reflect. This is what Golding is trying to achieve making you think trough the eyes of Ralph and his lose of innocence. This is an image from the old movie when Ralph is being saved and looks back at the Island.

Quotation 3rd Quarter

“This head is for the beast. It's a gift.” Chapter 8.

Ralph is now treating the beast as a god. He offers the pigs head for a gift almost as if to ask for more savagery and cruelty. The head also becomes a god to Simon who hears it speak to him and says he will never be free. This is really the turning point for the book. After this Simon is killed by Jack and then Piggy Shorty after. To me this head represents evil so I picture a devil as the beast looming over the island moulding the kid’s minds.

Quotation 2nd Quarter

“Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.” Chapter 4.

The beginning in the decline to savagery is showed when Roger throws stones at Henry. Yet he will not go as far as actually hitting Henry. Roger is forgetting some of morals and has started to take advantage of the littluns but he somewhere inside him he knows that he should not hit Henry. “...parents and school and policemen and the law.” This is a connection back to the world they use do live in where if Roger hurt Henry he would be punished by the law.

Quotation 1st Quarter

“The creature was a party of boys, marching…” Chapter 1.

This quote is contrasting a beast or creature to the group of school boys from England. Foreshadowing is also being used here because it is revealing that the seemingly innocent group of boys will transform into a creature. When I read this quote I think of a group of soldiers marching because they may seem civil and good. However in reality they do cruel and unjust things just like these boys.

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