Chapter 12: “Is That A Symbol?”
Literary Text: Lord of the Flies There are many aspects of a novel that make it what is, including its use of symbolism, geography, and archetypes. When paid attention to, these aspects can bring an entirely new meaning to a work. Lord of the Flies is a heavily dense novel that consists of a wide variety of characters who each represent something more abstract. These characters can be considered representations of something bigger than themselves. For example, the Beast is an integral part of the story in that it is something that everyone in the novel is deeply afraid of. The story revolves around this being, yet no one knows what it is, what it looks like, or even if it actually exists. To the boys, the beast is a pig’s head on a stick, which they call the “Lord of the Flies.” However, it can be understood that the beast is actually a physical manifestation of the boys themselves.
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Pride and Prejudice takes place in the 1700s in England. Considering the rules and traditions present at the time, the setting of the novel largely influences the behavior of Mrs. Bennet, who is incredibly keen on keeping her daughters financially comfortable and marrying them off early in their age. Marriage, in the 18th century, was so largely dependent on one’s social class that even the thought of love triumphing class structure was considered unfathomable. Jane Austen recognized this, as is shown through her tangibility of the geography in the novel, which allows for her characterizations to be realistic. Jane Austen authentically portrays the characters and geography, which makes her ideas legitimate. It is evident throughout this novel that Austen tries to expose the ignorance surrounding social class mentality by creating a setting that is not only fitting to it, but is also a setting that readers can relate