Have you ever read a story where little innocent boys kill one another? Sounds a little dramatic and dark, but this is basically Lord of the Flies. Golding uses symbolism with the conch, the fire, and the glasses to tie to the theme of savagery overcoming civilization in the novel Lord of the Flies. The conch is a symbol of the order amongst the boys on the island. The fire represents the hope that the boys have to be saved from the deserted island. The glasses help visualize the intelligence and inventiveness that is present on the island. To conclude, symbolism is used by Golding to put together the idea of savagery and civilization going head to head in Lord of the Flies.
Firstly, the conch is a symbol of order which adds to the boys’
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In the start of “Lord of the Flies”, the fire is a symbol of the boys’ hope to be rescued from the island. Ralph has the initial idea to light a signal fire for any passing ships or planes. Ralph’s hope to be rescued is connected to the fire because that is how he plans to be saved. Halfway through the plot of the story, the fire represents the boys’ fleeting idea of deliverance and release from the conditions of the island. Jack lets the fire go out because he is hunting instead of attending to the fire so Ralph gets angry. Jack’s neglect of the fire foreshadows the savage tendencies that overpower the want to be rescued and focus more on the boys’ want to kill and hunt. By the end of the novel, the meaning of the fire has shifted to show the complete loss of hope for rescue and how the boys’ only concern now is to kill. The fire is out for good and Ralph is no longer “chief” and Jack is in control of his own savage tribe. The shift of power from hope-filled Ralph to barbaric Jack happens right around when the fire goes out which shows the loss of hope for deliverance. Completely, the fire symbolizes the hope that the boys experience while waiting to be rescued and struggling to survive, which adds to the theme of whether or not the boys stay civil or turn