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Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

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Everyone will face evil at some point in their lives, but the way the evil is embraced or deflected will differ among every man. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, symbolism is used to communicate the theme of Understanding the Inhumanity/Inherent Evil of Man as represented through the double ended spear, the fire, and the Lord of the Flies. The spear represents the evil inside of humankind and the perception that killing and hurting each other out of anger is acceptable. Fire symbolizes the evil act of stealing to achieve a human wants. Lastly, the Lord of the Flies symbolizes the Inherent Evil of Man through demonstrating that a boy understood that the evil is within them instead of around them, and is not something that could be killed …show more content…

In the first chapter “The Sound of the Shell,” all of the boys elect a chief. The way that Jack acts toward Ralph expresses how he is unhappy with the decision of Ralph being chief. The quote “[...] and the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification,” expresses how much he wanted to be chief and when he was not elected as chief, he was embarrassed and upset. In chapter 11 “Castle Rock,” Jack wants to become chief and behaves more violently towards Ralph. The text explains that the boys have became more vicious without adult supervision. At this point, the boys are embracing evil. For example, when Jack states “‘I’m chief!’ Viciously with full intentions, he hurled his spear into Ralph” (Golding 209). All control is lost and evil is expressed in the injuring of Ralph. The phrase displays a vicious intent and the thoughts of Jack being negative and violent. A savage, violent, and harmful imagery is created with the use of the words “viciously” and“hurled.” The text is also able to express that Ralph’s injuries were given intentionally by using the phrase “He hurled his spear into Ralph.” This expresses that Jack had full intentions of doing this evil action, out of viciousness and anger. and allows us to see the evil coming out of Jack when put in a situation that he is not comfortable in. The idea of Jack being so young …show more content…

In the chapter titled “Gift for the Darkness” Simon hears the sound of the flies buzzing around the Lord of the Flies. The buzzing sound is what causes Simon to have hallucinations. These hallucinations leads to Simon hearing the Lord of the Flies talking to him. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that evil is within all the boys. The quote “‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head.” (Golding 164) expresses that the Lord of the Flies is divulging to Simon that the evil is not something that can be hunted or killed but is within the boys. Simon also learns that the beast of evilness was in the boys all along. The theme Inherent Evil of Man is displayed through Simon learning that evil is within the boys and that this was the beast. This shows how the evil action appears as a beast and the understanding of evilness by

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After a while these flies found Simon. Gorged, they alighted by his runnels of sweat and drank. They ticked under his nostrils and played leapfrog on his thighs. They were black and iridescent green and without number; and in front of Simon, the Lord of the Flies hung on his stick and grinned." (138) Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies represents evil.

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Ralph establishes discipline, and order, and shows affection towards the other boys. Prioritizing the group's welfare, Jack is becoming more and more savage, thinks less of others, and thirsts for

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“He’s a feral child. No mother, no father, no one to care for him or raise him or teach how to be human” (Rodman Phillbrick). Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies there are many signs of the group of boys changing in drastic ways. If a child is left alone in a forest without society to tell them how to act they will become more instinctual. Reasons to support this theory are the physical changes, emotional changes, and the behavioral changes.

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This grows into hatred when Jack orders the other children to kill Ralph. This shows that Jack has no limits, has fully converted into a savage and that he would go as far as to kill

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When Simon first encounters the Lord of the Flies, he realizes that it is a manifestation of the boys' fear and savagery. He thinks to himself, "Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you?" (Chapter 8).

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While Simon saw the Lord of the Flies he heard a message that tortures him that “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill”(143). This demonstrates Simon’s breakthrough that the beast is not real, it cannot be hunted or killed. This further expresses Golding’s belief that the evil or the beast is not a figure which could not be destroyed. While Simon stared at the sow’s head, he heard “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you”(143).

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As time wears on, the boys become increasingly bestial and savage, and are led by Jack to lash out against the remaining civilized group, led by Ralph. Through the actions he performs throughout this novel, it is apparent that Jack is an arrogant tyrant because he is egotistical

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As the crowd dissipates, they “could see how small a beast it was.” It was in actuality Simon, who ironically died to what he came to tell them of. This savage nature that humanity was capable of was frequently alluded to by the book, and commented on by Golding himself, ultimately showing us the true meaning of the “beast”. Throughout “The Lord of the Flies”, the “beast” is ever present and ever changing. It manifests their fears, the war, then their savagery.

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Simon becomes aware of his internal cruelty when it manifests itself in hallucinatory forms as “The Lord of the Flies”. Simon at first lacks the understanding and cannot comprehend what is happening until the hallucination says “‘Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head. For a moment or two the forest and other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. ‘You knew didn’t you?

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In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, there are many symbolic concepts within the novel such as the beast, and the pigs head. Golding uses these concepts to portray to the reader his idea that when humans are left without rules or organisation they will break from a civilised manner and become savages allowing evil to over take them. One of the most important symbols used to help the reader understand Golding's idea is the beast. Many of the boys believe their is a beast on the island and become fearful.

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While the objects seemed harmless, their symbolism (usually depicted in a negative manner) was a major influence to the children and overall outcome of the novel. Betwixt the relationship of power and symbols found within the Lord of the Flies one could use these attributes to manipulate and conquer. The use of power and symbolism create a magnificent tale of a group of children who descend into savagery as they can no longer tell what is logical and the price of this dire

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In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows the progression of absolute power, and how ambition can take over one's mind. Stranded on an island after their plane crashed, the boys create their own democracy with one absolute ruler, just like many other governments throughout history. The boys voted Ralph as their ruler, but Jack slowly starts to take some of Ralph’s power, and eventually usurps him as their chief. Lord of the Flies suggests that absolute power is corrupt, and that humans are overly ambitious in wanting to take power from the person who has the most of it. Just like any large group of people, the boys decide that they “ought to have a chief to decide things” (Golding 22).

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During Simon’s encounter with the Lord of the Flies, Golding reveals the central issue concerning human nature. Simon reaches the realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that the beast is inside each boy and cannot be killed. The boys go from behaving like civilized young men to brutal savages. “What I mean is…maybe it’s only us.”

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The story “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding tells of civilized boys turning into savages. It also shows just how easy it is to lose all control when a situation goes wrong. As the book goes on we see how hard it is for them to survive without rules. In this story there are many items that are used as symbols and hold a deeper meaning. Two symbols that really held a greater meaning were the conch shell and the fire.

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