Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies

In the novel, the parents and adults of the world have set a bad example for the boys on the island. "There was speck above the island, a figure dropping swiftly beneath a parachute, a figure that hung with dangling limbs. The changing winds of various altitudes took the figure where they would" (Golding 95). The adults in the world are setting a bad example by fighting in a war with each other. Children do what they see. Since the boys witness war they believe that this is how a government is ran with violence and war. Which is how the boys run their small government. "My father's in the navy. He said there aren't any unknown islands left... So you see, sooner or later, we'll be rescued" (Golding 37). Ralph's father is in the navy which means

"Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life" (Golding 62). Roger still has the mindset that parents are around and watching them. Roger would not dare hit the littlun with a stone because he knows that his parents would scold at him and disapprove of his actions. The boys are testing their limits of how far they can go without getting in a feeling of trouble. They have this feeling still because they have not been on the island very long and there is still hope of returning back to civilization. However, this starts to change the longer they are on the island and the hope of returning starts to fade away. "Simon's dead body moved out toward the open sea" (Golding 154). In this quote, the boys have just killed Simon believing he was the beast. The boys have gone so far with the idea of savagery that they can not recognize one of their own. At this point the boys have the chance to go back to their civilized ways or continue to get worse in their savage ways. The boys do not feel remorse for Simon's death and continue in their savage ways, except Ralph and Piggy. This leads back to the idea of the children copying their parents. The boys continue to fight like they are in war because that is what the the adults

"I'm frightened. Of us. I want to go home, Oh God, I want to go home" (Golding 157). This is said by Ralph after the boys kill Simon. Ralph realized what they did was wrong and he feels sorry, however, all the other boys blow it off. They do not believe it was their fault, it was an accident. Ralph shows maturity by taking responsibility for what they did and call it what it really was, murder. The other boys were thinking that Simon's death was an accident they thought he was the beast they were only protecting themselves. Which is what the adults were doing; they were killing the enemy to protect themselves, however, it is still murder. Another example where Ralph has matured is when the navy officer saves him. "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of a man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy" (Golding 202). Ralph treated Piggy as an outsider and treated him as if he did not have an opinion throughout the novel. However, by the end, he missed his friend. Ralph considered Piggy as a friend and knew now how intelligent he was. Ralph has grown up from a naïve child to one who has experienced loss and has matured from