Discuss William Golding's use of Symbolism in Lord of the Flies
The novel 'Lord of the Flies' is written by William Golding in which he explores the issues of civilization and savagery. The story takes place during the Second World War when a plane carrying a group of school boys crash lands on a deserted island. The boys are isolated on the island with no place to go and are under no adult supervision. The boys create their own little community however due to constant disagreements they fight with one another and separate, forming two different groups. Each character and object that is frequently used, are symbols that represent a small part in the big picture. Throughout the novel, Golding uses symbolism substantially in order to portray what each boy contributes or burdens the island with during their struggle to escape.
The first symbol that catches the reader's attention is the conch shell. After the crash, all the boys are confused about their whereabouts and what they would do next. Ralph (one of the oldest among the boys) discovers the conch shell lying on the sandy beach. Once he blows into it, all the boys on the beach assemble at once. "We can use this to call the others.". Later on the conch shell is used to summon all the young boys and a new rule is created stating that only the one holding the conch shell is given permission to speak. "Let him be chief with the trumpet thing" .This clearly shows us how the young boys maintain a democratic and civilized atmosphere through using the conch shell. Therefore we can infer how the conch shell is a symbol for democracy and civilized behavior. "We can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have 'hands up' like at school." However, as the young boys start to give into their savage instincts, the power of the conch shell starts to fade away. After Simon's brutal death, Ralph cannot accept the fact that his innocent friend was murdered for no reason and he grasps onto the conch shell while laughing manically. Later on when Piggy blows into the shell trying to remind everyone of their civilized ways, the savage like boys attack him with a boulder and consequently break the conch shell. "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist."Through the destruction of the conch shell, the boys terminate their only hope of ever returning to their civilized ways.
The novel 'Lord of the Flies' is written by William Golding in which he explores the issues of civilization and savagery. The story takes place during the Second World War when a plane carrying a group of school boys crash lands on a deserted island. The boys are isolated on the island with no place to go and are under no adult supervision. The boys create their own little community however due to constant disagreements they fight with one another and separate, forming two different groups. Each character and object that is frequently used, are symbols that represent a small part in the big picture. Throughout the novel, Golding uses symbolism substantially in order to portray what each boy contributes or burdens the island with during their struggle to escape.
The first symbol that catches the reader's attention is the conch shell. After the crash, all the boys are confused about their whereabouts and what they would do next. Ralph (one of the oldest among the boys) discovers the conch shell lying on the sandy beach. Once he blows into it, all the boys on the beach assemble at once. "We can use this to call the others.". Later on the conch shell is used to summon all the young boys and a new rule is created stating that only the one holding the conch shell is given permission to speak. "Let him be chief with the trumpet thing" .This clearly shows us how the young boys maintain a democratic and civilized atmosphere through using the conch shell. Therefore we can infer how the conch shell is a symbol for democracy and civilized behavior. "We can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have 'hands up' like at school." However, as the young boys start to give into their savage instincts, the power of the conch shell starts to fade away. After Simon's brutal death, Ralph cannot accept the fact that his innocent friend was murdered for no reason and he grasps onto the conch shell while laughing manically. Later on when Piggy blows into the shell trying to remind everyone of their civilized ways, the savage like boys attack him with a boulder and consequently break the conch shell. "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist."Through the destruction of the conch shell, the boys terminate their only hope of ever returning to their civilized ways.
