The themes of “Lord of the Flies” and their communication through symbols.
The themes of "Lord of the Flies" are communicated mainly through symbols. Explore the symbolism of "Lord of the Flies", making specific reference to the text to support your points.
In this essay, I aim to state and explain each of the different symbols presented by William Golding in "Lord of the Flies". I also aim to demonstrate the main themes of the book by linking them to the symbols that have been used within the text. In doing this I intend to use quotations from the text to strengthen the validity of my points. I plan to respond to the question, by asking whether the symbolism in the story has any purpose in understanding the events and themes of the book.
In the book "Lord of the Flies", William Golding uses many different symbols in each of the key events and objects on the island. The first of these symbols being: The Conch, (a Symbol of civilised behaviour and order as a whole on the island). Here is an example of this symbol being used:
"'We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting.
They'll come when they hear us-'"
(Page 12, Lines 3-4)
This quote demonstrates the conch's power over the inhabitants, as they respond to the sound of the conch to create a meeting. This meeting creates an air of civilised behaviour on the island, with all the boys sitting round Ralph, the leader, and listening to things that he says. It could be said that because Ralph had the conch in the first place, and he blew into it to call all of the boys together, that he used it to create order on the island. This is because before he blew into it to call all of the boys together, everyone was scattered around the island. This makes it seem like there was no order to it all, as no one knew where they were. It seemed disorderly, and uncivilised. Here is another quote that demonstrates the conch's power over the children:
"Ralph grasped the idea, and hit the shell with...
...a child appeared among the palms, about a hundred yards along the beach."
(Page 12 line 24 - page13, line 14)
This quote shows how the conch's power over the children, as they all start to appear from the forest to attend to the conch's instructive sound.
The way in which Golding does this is by starting off with a bit of a wait until the first boy appears, then slowly, they start to come out from the forest. The rate of boys appearing speeds ...
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"Ralph grasped the idea, and hit the shell with...
...a child appeared among the palms, about a hundred yards along the beach."
(Page 12 line 24 - page13, line 14)
This quote shows how the conch's power over the children, as they all start to appear from the forest to attend to the conch's instructive sound.
The way in which Golding does this is by starting off with a bit of a wait until the first boy appears, then slowly, they start to come out from the forest. The rate of boys appearing speeds up quite rapidly. This is shown by Piggy's incapability to keep up with recording the names of all the boys who keep flooding out of the forest. In this part of the book, the conch seems to have incredible power over people, as Golding describes many boys coming out of the forest, just because they heard a loud sound. It seems that the conch can bring instruction to the masses, as if it has some sort of dictatorial powers.
Another symbol displayed by Golding is of Piggy's Glasses. These glasses are a not only a symbol, but a source of intelligence and his intellectual endeavour in society. This symbol is demonstrated by the glasses' fire-lighting abilities, so that a small link to real civilisation and a normal, rational society could be established. This ability is almost saying that Piggy is actually helping with the boys' rescue, instead of being seen to be useless, because of his weight, and medical problems like asthma. These glasses also signify hope on the island, for if it was not for the glasses, the fire could not have been made, and the children would not have been rescued:
"`His specs - use them as burning glasses!' "
(Page 40, line 11)
The Language used by Golding gives the impression that these boys are determined and excited to be able to light a fire. This can be seen, when there is a scuffle for Piggy's glasses, after Jack exclaims that they could be used to light a fire. The language gives the impression that all of the boys present, try to go for the glasses, which results in Piggy being hurt that they didn't even ask if they could borrow them. It can be seen that Piggy would have willingly given them his glasses, if they had only asked. This could show a small loss of order and civilised behaviour within the inhabitants.
They, (the boys), want to build a fire so that they stand a chance of being rescued. Fundamentally the children are almost wholly dependent on the capabilities of Piggy's glasses, as a source for reassurance, a link to the civilised behaviour of their old, and seemingly forgotten society, and most importantly, the boys' foundation for their hope of being rescued.
The fire is seen as a symbol, as Golding wanted the children to have a link with a proper, more familiar society and civilisation. This is because Golding wants to exaggerate the fact that between the boys, there has been a loss of civilisation, and rational society, which is the complete opposite to the status of their remembered link, through the fire. Although the boys have lost their civilised ways, they still hope of civilised ways in a land that they know about, although they do not act upon that hope, in trying to make another civilisation. This shows how young these boys actually are, as they can only see the fire as a reminder of what was once, and not what could be now.
One of the key, main symbols in the "Lord of the Flies", is The Beast. This is a very important symbol in the book , as it is used to demonstrate one of the themes to an extent. This theme is Human Nature. The Beast is not an actual living, breathing object that could be touched, seen, or heard, it is purely just an abstract figment of one's imagination, which is inside of everyone. This "Beast" that is within everyone, is said to be able to be brought out of anyone, given that they are exposed to the correct conditions and selected scenarios. In the "Lord of the Flies", there isn't an actual beast, and only one of the boys realises this fact. He also realises that "The Beast" is something within all of us. This boy was Simon. He is seen to be the most "at one" with the island, so he manages to realise that "The Beast" is just the human form's natural, although unseen animal instincts of hunting and savagery, and that "The Beast" is definitely not something that rules over the island. In essence, the boys have no control over their actions. Simon is seen to have an obsession with "The Beast", as he is always trying to find out what it really is. It seems as if he knows that "The Beast" is not real, but he is not too sure, so he has to investigate the subject further, this makes it seem like he has a fascination with "The Beast". We find this out fully when he goes up to the top of the mountain where the dead parachutist landed, just to find out whether there actually is a beast. This can be seen as though he is the more intelligent of the group, and the less susceptible to the "hype" as the other boys. This is because, when he discovers that the other boy's "Beast" is only a dead parachutist, and tries to explain that to them, they are so wound up about "The Beast" that they mistake Simon for it, and kill him. With this killing of one of their own, there can be seen, a loss of innocence in the boys, as a few of them continue to hunt and kill, not only pigs, but the other boys as well.
The main characters also represent things. Ralph represents order, leadership, and civility in the camp; Piggy symbolises the more scientific and intellectual aspects of Ralph's civilisation; Jack signifies savagery and the manic desire for power that is within some people. He could even be seen as a Dictator amongst the boys; Simon represents the natural power of human goodness; and Roger is seen to represent bloodlust and extreme brutality.
Overall, Golding was trying to represent all of the human race's main natural, and basic instincts. He achieved this by running the plot through his own opinions of what people may resort to, if they were to be given the correct environment, and amount of time to live within.
348 words.
