How Is Duality Used In Lord Of The Flies

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Duality and symbolism are two technical elements that writers and authors use in their writing. Duality means having two parts, characters, or setting with opposite meanings or characteristics. Symbolism is when an object or character is represented by an object. William Golding depicts the characters, setting, and plot in the novel while including these elements. In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses duality and symbolism to illustrate that with the absence of civilization, an individual may result to savagery. The conflict between Ralph and Jack illustrates how lack of civilization can result to savagery. Ralph states, “’We need shelters’” contrasting to Jack, who says, “’We need meat’” (42). The lack of civilization in Jack comes …show more content…

When Ralph states, “’This belongs to us’”, he is talking about the island, and how the beach and the lagoon will be areas for shelter (21). When Ralph says “us”, he means all the boys, including the littluns, Jack, Piggy, and everybody on the island. On the other hand, when it is said that, “… no doubt the tribe will be found at Castle Rock”, it means that only Jack’s tribe will be at Castle Rock and the other boys like Piggy, Ralph, or Samneric won’t be there(156). “This meeting must not be fun, but business”, points out that the beach is where the boys always gather around for meetings (65). The beach is the safest place away from the beastie, and it’s the place where the boys can find shelter. It also depicts that the beach is a type of democratic government. This is the place where all boys get a say in what happens when they are holding the conch. However, on the other side of the island, the boys were chanting, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (168). “Jack and his tribe are engrossed by the hunt and the dance and the swim”, which explains why Castle Rock is not a safe place (Talon). The boys on this side of the island act psychotic and uncivilized. Castle Rock is also the spot where the boys feast. This is also a symbol of an evil place because both Piggy and Simon were killed at Castle Rock. The beach and lagoon are symbols of peace and democratic order, while Castle Rock is a symbol of torture and