Another symbol is the one which gives the novel its title, “Lord of the Flies”. It is, of course, the pigs head. The description which Golding gives of the pig’s head gives the reader a real sense of the evil surrounding it. With some research I found that the title, “Lord of the Flies” is a translation of the name Beelzebub otherwise known as Satan. While talking to Simon it tells him the evil is inside everyone. The pigs head becomes the symbol for evil while also representing the “Beast”.
The “Beast” is yet another very important symbol in the book. In the boys’ minds, they believe the beast is a scary snake-like creature. Really it represents the lingering evil which is present in every human mind. Simon realises this and, all be it grudgingly, attempts to tell the other boys.
“Maybe there is a beast…What I mean is…maybe it’s only us”
None of the other boys will believe him. As the boys grow more and more savage their belief in the existence of the beast grows stronger and stronger.
Piggy’s glasses also symbolised something. They represented rescue and hope. They lit the fire which gave them a hope of being rescued. They were the last link the boys had to the adult world and so when they finally broke all hope of rescue was gone from the island. The glasses snapping signified the last link to civilisation snapping. I feel his glasses are very effective at symbolising because they are at the centre of all the rescue attempts that the boys make for example when they build the signal fire the glasses are used to light it.
In the beginning the island is described as having “palm trees”. This instantly makes me think of it being exotic and tropical. As the story goes on we start to see the island as more of a prison to the boys. When the boys set fire to the island, the fire symbolises the island being a hell.
“Piggy glanced nervously into hell”
It gives us a hint of what is to come for the boys as the island becomes more and more hellish. After being intended to be used for good the fire gets out of hand again symbolising the islands descent into hell.
Overall, I feel Golding’s use of symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” is absolutely exceptional. He takes what could be seen as quite simple, everyday objects and what is basically quite simple storyline and uses symbolism to make it an exciting, timeless, thought provoking masterpiece of modern literature which I feel that I can look deeper into every time I read it.
