Quotes For Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

The Necessity of Rules and Reason Caked behind layers of paint, a group of savage boys haphazardly roam a deserted island. This patch of uncharted land, which once was paradise to them, became a breeding ground for chaos and shame. Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding intertwined a countless number of symbols. Without the supervision of adults, the stranded boys attempted to maintain order; although ultimately, they lost to instant gratification and their animal instincts. Symbols like the island itself, Piggy’s glasses, and fire, are utilized in order to emphasize their demise. The island is essentially paradise and is a symbol for the story of Adam and Eve. It is repeated countless times by Ralph, that the boys landed

The eyeglass represented intelligence and logic. From the beginning to end, he strongly believed that whoever held the conch had the power to speak. It is even stated that, “Piggy sought in his mind for words to convey his passionate willingness to carry the conch against all odds” (172). Piggy, the brains in the group, understood that while waiting to be rescued, order is undoubtedly needed. Piggy’s glasses was also the only object that could start a fire signal. This symbolised how the boys’ survival was dependent on logic and civilized ways. In the beginning of the novel, the group established rules like tending the signal fire at certain time shifts. However, when Jack broke Piggy’s glasses, he triggered the boys complete denial of reason. The quick change in their mindset allowed Golding to prove how easily human beings can fall into instant gratification and lose order. Though unlike most of the characters in the novel, Ralph attempted to not forget about their original goal:

The fire, which exemplified hope, is the only way a ship can recognize their existence on the island and save them. The night after Jack decided to break off into his own group, Ralph and his followers were in despair. Yet, they were restimulated with the idea of building a new fire away from the mountain. The fire gave them a goal and, “now that there was something to be done they worked with passion”(129). While stranded on the island, one of the first decisions the boys made was to build a signal fire. During that time, they were still civilized and shared a common goal of wanting to be saved. Although when Jack and his hunters stole the fire from Ralph, there was little hope of getting the group away from their savage ways. The disappearance of the signal fire’s importance, symbolized how Jack’s ruling was slowly taking away Ralphs and Piggy’s hope of being