From the very start of the book Golding uses symbolism. He describes the mark left by the crash landed pod of the plane as a ‘scar’, implying that the human race has immediately left an ugly mark on the island paradise which they have been on for less than a few minutes. This description of the dent is somewhat monkey harsh but Golding is already showing how he feels about what people are capable of. The second symbol is that of the ‘conch’, this throughout the book represents the democracy and order that humans are capable of being civilised but as the conch gets used less and less, civilisation gets lower and lower on the agenda till the boys just stop caring.
The boys uniform is also present throughout the whole book, corresponding to how urbane the boys are. The messier the uniform, the more un-civilised the boys are, to the point where at the end of the book many of the boys end up in the nude, wearing face paint and bearing spears. At the beginning of the book the boys are constantly pulling their socks up and making sure they’re neat and tidy. But as they realise that there is not any higher power than themselves they feel that the need to be civilised is gone. This is especially noticeable in the character of Roger, a Hitler-like figure, who at the beginning of the book is relatively quiet but as he realises that he can do what he wants and not get in trouble he becomes evil, regardless of whether what he does is morally right or not. At one point of the book this is shown quite explicitly when he is throwing stones at fellow boys, at the beginning he is throwing round a kind of magnetic force that surrounds the boy which shrinks as it becomes more apparent that no-one is going to stop what he is doing to the point where at the end of the book he will kill without remorse.
Where there is evil, good is also present. Golding has put it in the form of Simon who symbolises pure good, almost Christ-like. He never partakes in the cruel activities and he offers an alternative more likely opinion when others around him get caught up in a sort of excitement. The Beast for example which is an object of fear for many is an inconceivable idea to Simon who climbs the mountain in search of the truth about it. Primarily, Jack liked the red one.
The most at hand symbol in the book is Piggy. His clear sightedness and intelligence often annoy the rest of the boys as they do not want to be told what to do or to be reminded of what is right or wrong. He is ‘bullied’ by Jack for his size, asthma and dependence on Ralph who is the only one who doesn’t constantly make fun of him. His glasses also signify something, the state of social order among the islanders. From when they get taken off him to make a fire without him being asked, to when they are stolen from him altogether which is very near the point where he meets his messy and cruel demise.
At the beginning of the book Jack tries to establish himself as leader, the vote goes in Ralph’s favour which embarrasses him as he is used to always being the person in charge. This mortification builds up inside him till another vote is called. He loses again so decides to rebel and form his own group, offering meat and hunting. This is what leads to the deaths of Simon and Piggy.
The island is Golding’s portrayal of the world as he sees it, a sort of microcosm. Where evil wins in the end and good is wiped out. This is somewhat an exaggerated view of the world but Golding had some very strong views about human nature. Symbolism was his way of getting his views across and he does it very well.
