Essay about Lord of the Flies Literary Analysis

Ralph makes the conch important by saying that he will, “give the conch to the next person to speak…and he won’t be interrupted” (33). The conch is important for calling meetings and keeping order during the previously mentioned meetings. Another item that is noteworthy is Piggy’s glasses…as Simon says, “We used his specs…He helped that way” (42). Piggy’s glasses are important because they are used to light and relight the fire. After lighting the bonfire, Jack says that he and his hunters will, “be responsible for keeping the fire going” (43).

Ralph is an insufficient leader, which causes his society to greatly decline. Ralph creates the policy of only speaking when one holds the conch in their hands; only Ralph is allowed to interrupt since he is the leader. The boys are at the top of a mountain, defeated, because their fire didn’t stay lit. When Piggy tries to explain why it didn’t work, Jack interrupts him.

In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, he shows what he believe is truly hidden in people in a series of ideas and symbols hidden in people and objects. The symbolism of the fire, the conch and Piggy’s glasses are important for the message in the book.

While reading this novel, the reader will be able to tell that the conch plays a big role with the boys on the island. Ralph who spots it in the lagoon first finds the conch. Ralph and Piggy are amazed and can already tell how important the conch would be right when they first see it. The author describes the conch: “In color the shell was deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink. Between the point, worn away into a little hole, and the pink lips of the mouth, lay eighteen inches of shell with a slight spiral twist and covered with a delicate, embossed pattern” (Golding 16). Since the author goes into so much detail about the conch, the reader realizes it is a very important symbol. During the beginning of the story, the boys have a vote and elect Ralph as the leader “Him with the shell. Ralph!

Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding. It is about british schoolboys who are stranded on an island after their plane is shot down. They are on the island with no adult supervision. Their group is civilized but turns to savagery. In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the characters of Ralph, Jack, and Roger to symbolize that there are violence, evil, savagery, and good that exist in every society.

In chapter 5 Piggy and Ralph are faced with a difficult decision - to blow or not to blow the conch. Power was slowing slipping from Ralph’s hands when the boys decide Jack is more fun. During this time Ralph is unsure of his power, along with the conch’s. Ralph says, “If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it” (Golding, 150). Once Ralph has spoken these words tension is rose. Sides have been taken between Ralph or Jack. Ralph, putting the thought of being rescued first. Jack, who puts the thrill of the hunt above all else. Choosing sides eventually leads to the tragic death of Piggy and the destruction of the conch. Golding writes, “Suddenly Jack bounded out from the tribe and began screaming wildly […] ‘That's what you’ll get [...] The conch is gone’” (Golding, 181). At that point in time all structure is gone. Ralph no longer has the conch, an object that made him chief in the first

The fire symbolizes hope of rescue and getting back home. It is arguably the most important resource the boys have. As Ralph states in the beginning of the book,”If a ship comes near the island it may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire.” Golding used this statement to emphasize the symbolism relating the fire to hope. Although as the book goes on, the boys lose sight of the real importance of the fire. The first sign of this is the hunters letting the fire go out. That in itself symbolises the boys becoming more savage. As the book carries on, however, the importance of the fire degrades quickly. Often Ralph will even forget why they need it. In the end, however, the fire is used against all the boys and causes complete chaos, showing how out of hand and careless the situation is. Ironically, the fire does grab the attention of rescue and with that they are compared to society. Golding makes a strong statement that without supervision and intelligence, humans are careless and overtime will slowly degrade into savagery and madness. He demonstrates this with the timeline he set

Although many things are stated outright in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the book is rich with symbolism and subtext. The story starts with British school boys being stranded on an island after escaping a threat of nuclear war. The boys elect fair-haired Ralph as their leader, but Jack, a fiery choirmaster of some of the boys, is jealous and the story quickly goes downhill from there, leading to aggression, mayhem, and murder. Throughout the novel, there is also a mysterious and imaginary beast that haunts the minds of the younger boys. Lord of the Flies has many details, many of which are symbols or have implied meaning. One of the most important examples of subtext is Simon, the strange, ethereal boy who aligns himself with

The conch signifies law and civilization. Piggy tells Ralph, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us” (16). As seen in this quote, the conch was used to bring all the boys together, and this shows civilization. The conch brought together the boys which are soon established into their own little civilization. A few chapters into the book, the conch is seen being handed around to those who wanted to speak. This is supported by the quote, “That’s what this shell’s called. I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak” (33).

It represents the savage and beastial feelings within the boys in the novel. It is the behavior of the boys that has allowed the symbol to come into existence. One last symbol is Piggy’s glasses, and they symbolize intelligence and reason. This symbol is very significant because it is one of the very few sources of reason in the book. In Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the symbolism of the conch shell, the beast, and Piggy’s

Throughout Lord of the Flies it is clear that the author, William Golding, incorporated lots of symbolism into the text. Three of the main components in the story that symbolized something else were the conch the “beast” and the island. Each of these components developed throughout the text and gave the reader an idea of the main theme in the story.

Firstly, the Conch which is arguably the most important object of symbolism is representative of law, power and order. This is backed up by the quote “But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on

In the novel, fire was an important part of survival for the boys, “How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?" (Golding 80). This quote represents hope that the boys will be recused and was a link to civilization. The fire also signified order and leadership because the boy’s goal was to protect the fire from burning out and Ralph was able to give commands to the boys in order be saved.

As a result, the fire becomes a indicator for the boys connection to civilization. In the beginning of the novel when the boys make the signal fire, it showing that the boys want to go home and return to their normal lives. When the fire comes close to burning out, the most of the boys realize that the idea of being rescued is dwindling away and they’re ready to take on the life of savagery. So the signal fire starts to act like a measurement of the the islands strength of civilized manners. Ironically at the end of the story, a fire that Jack starts in the forest ends up signaling a ship to come by and rescue all of them, but only Simon and Piggy made it.

Symbolism in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies renders either through a character, intention, or theme. The author uses these symbols to have a greater impact on the readers’ interpretation of the novel, rather than merely revealing the idea. First and foremost, the beast and its several manifestations are few of the many signs that support deeper meanings. Furthermore, there is Piggy, one with intelligence and responsibility and one very important symbol. Finally, there are the two fires which are vital representations in the novel that contrasts and demonstrates irony. The use of symbols does provide a deep elucidation of the novel, but it supports an even more profound significance for the readers’ perspectives as well.