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How Does Golding Use Symbols In Lord Of The Flies

1509 Words7 Pages

“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?”(176). A group of English schoolboys are marooned on a jungle island with no adults after their plane is shot down in the middle of a war, so the boys set up rules to govern themselves, but Ralph becomes frustrated when no one helps him build shelters. Lots of boys goof off, while Jack obsesses about hunting and takes every opportunity to mock Piggy, who is smart but weak. Several themes can be detected within Lord of the FLies including, human nature, civilization, savagery, and religion. Golding addresses these topics through symbolism, conflict, irony, and …show more content…

Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. A symbol is an object, person, place, or an event that stands both for itself and--through association--for something beyond itself. Symbols appear throughout Lord of the flies, for example, The tropical island,with its gorgeous terrain and plentiful resources, symbolizes paradise. It is like the Garden of Eden in which the boys can try to build a society from nothing. The "Lord of the Flies," the head of a pig which the boys mounted on a stake in the ground. It symbolizes the evil that lies deep within every person. The phrase "lord of the flies" is a translation of the Greek "Beelzebub," a devil mentioned in the New Testament. In the Bible, Beelzebub seems to represent Satan himself. The conch shell symbolizes civilization, law, and organization.

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How Does Golding Use Imagery In Lord Of The Flies

406 Words | 2 Pages

In this drawing, Jack, wearing a hunting mask, is being burnt by a bonfire, representing the conflict between him and Ralph and his descent into savagery. It also depicts the reality that Jack is losing civilization's influence on him. This is demonstrated when Golding writes: “Jack was bent double. He was down like a sprinter, his nose only a few inches from the humid earth”. This quote illustrates a metaphor that describes Jack as an animal stalking his prey rather than a boy; Jack's actions also show his instincts, when he moves "dog-like" and is "uncomfortably on all fours.

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Jack Merridew In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

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A symbol, a word by definition means, a material object representing something immaterial. The character Jack Merridew, in Lord of The Flies symbolizes chaos, insanity, and ego. In Lord of The Flies Jack Merridew symbolizes chaos by demanding, “’ We want meat’” (51).

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How Does Golding Use Symbols In Lord Of The Flies

551 Words | 3 Pages

In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Golding uses symbolism in every possible way to represent something in our own lives that we can learn from. For example, items such as the conch, piggy’s glasses, the fire, the beast represent humans impulsive emotions, such as the need for order, intelligence and power, hope and fear. Golding’s book ingeniously uses these ideas to almost make fun of our impulsive emotions, such as the islanders fear of a “beast”. In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses physical objects to symbolize involuntary human impulses and emotions enhancing the story. One of the symbols in Lord of the Flies is the conch.

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How Does Golding Use Imagery In Lord Of The Flies

194 Words | 1 Pages

Golding uses imagery in chapter three to give a realistic point of view of the forest in his novel, Lord of The Flies. As stated, “Tall trunks bore unexpected pale flowers all the way up to the dark Canopy where life went on clamorously,”(Golding 56). This represents imagery because it allows the reader to see the tall trunks in the forest which had pale flowers all the way up. This appeals to the sense of sight as Golding uses the words “tall trunks” and “pale flowers” to paint an image of the forest trees. Golding also states, “Flower and fruit grew together on the same tree and everywhere was the scent of ripeness and the blooming of a million bees at pasture”(Golding 56).

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Symbolism In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

834 Words | 4 Pages

Symbolism is one of the most important properties a story can have. It's often used to develop a character or a theme throughout the story that is being told. Symbolism in literature is best described by as the use of symbols and objects to signify ideas and qualities by giving them a symbolic meanings that are very different from their literal sense. The short stories "Where are you going, Where have you been?" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" have very obvious examples of symbolism.

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Ralph In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

1320 Words | 6 Pages

Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?’”(143). Simon realizes that the beast isn’t an actual animal, it is the boys. The beast lives inside them, and it comes out as the boys go deeper and deeper into their savage roots.

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569 Words | 3 Pages

What is symbolism? Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or an object developing literature in its own way. Several authors use symbolism to get the reader to think about the true meaning behind the words that are written. Amy Tan portrays symbolism in her book The Joy Luck Club proving that symbolism is more than just plain words and are given a meaning. Set in Chinatown, San Francisco fleeing China in search for a better life is where it all began.

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The color red. Roses. Doves. At first glance, these words might seem completely random. However, if more thought is put in, these words are all symbols for love.

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Some things mean and stand for something more than what they literally are, they are called symbols. The novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is about a group of British boys getting stranded on an island, they begin making their own civilization at first but slowly conflicts arise and everything falls apart resulting in two dead bodies and one missing. In the end the boys are rescued but by then they have lost innocence. In this novel, many things, objects and ideas, are given more meaning than they have in a literal sense. In real life an example of a symbol may be a handshake, a handshake may symbolize respect, peace, and it is a type of greeting.

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Conch Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies

158 Words | 1 Pages

Lord of the Flies by William Golding, is about a group of schoolboys who are stranded on the island, the boys come in contact with many objects that become symbolic throughout the novel. Through the use of the symbols Golding demonstrates that humans allow natural capacity for their evil to dominate their innocence. One of the major symbolic objects in the novel is the conch shell, the conch symbolizes civilization and order and it is used when one wants to talk or when Ralph calls for a meeting. We soon realize throughout the book that the conch loses its meaning of order. Another major symbol is the “Lord of the Flies”, it symbolizes “Beelzebub” meaning the force of evil.

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Significant Symbols In The Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

618 Words | 3 Pages

Significant Symbols in The Lord of The Flies The Lord of The Flies is a novel that is overflowing with significant symbols such as the pig head, the conch shell, Piggy’s glasses, and darkness. The use of symbolism portrays a deeper meaning to the literature. By observing and evaluating the symbols used in the story, the reader is introduced to a new aspect of the story and the characters. In The Lord of the Flies, specifically, the pig head symbolizes evil, the conch shell symbolizes structure to society, Piggy’s glasses symbolize an intellectual view of the world, and darkness symbolizes fear of the unknown. One of the most important symbols of the story is the head of the pig known as The Lord of The Flies.

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