Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies

William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, shows an allegorical take on the classic coming-of-age story. Throughout the book, the boys' newfound freedom on the island turns into a “dystopian-esque” society, where their duties get forgotten in place of childish antics. On the surface, the island seems to be a paradise for the boys. From the warm water in the protected reef, the lush forest, and the fruit growing on the trees, they assume their time on the island will be like a vacation. However, looking deeper into the text, it is clear that the author is showing the imminent danger that the island poses. Golding uses the weather and the description of the island to show that the island is not as great as the boys may think. Using the descriptions Golding gives us about the weather, we can see that he was trying to convey that the island was not the paradise it was once assumed to be. From the get-go, the narrator describes

The heat gets described as an unrelenting force and a natural predator lurking in the shadows and is used as one of the main signs that show how the island isn’t what it seems. In addition, the narrator states that the “heat hit him”(4), which uses personification to make the inanimate object more antagonistic in nature. A few pages later, Ralph and Piggy go down to the water to swim, and the water is described as “warmer than his blood”(7). Ralph has no qualms about jumping head-first into the water, while Piggy is more withholding and tentative with his movements, exclaiming that “It’s Hot!”(8) when he sticks his toe in to test the temperature. The reaction to the heat of the water is a sign of how the island would captivate these boys as they slowly fall deeper into its metaphorical clutches. While Ralph has an “act first,