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Lord of the flies and human nature
Symbolism of Lord of the Flies
About the human nature in the lord of the flies
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From the earliest encounters, explorers or colonists performed yet described the appearance, traits, or approaches concerning lifestyles about indigenous Americans. Rather than monsters at the facet of the recognized world, Christopher Columbus discovered “handsome” people, whose skin resembled to that amount on the “Canadians, neither black nor white.” The Tainos (Arawaks) were naked,” informed neither cities nor steel weapons nor idols. While it humans have been “timid,” the Caribs, a more “audacious race,” resembled the Tainos within appearance yet material culture, but blind a extraordinary language, performed fighting on theirs neighbors, and “eat the humans it do capture.” Columbus’s descriptions regarding faint innocents or fierce cannibals
As it is known, a beast is frequently associated with fear. As the English boys are on the island that they have run away to, it is shown that they encounter things that petrify them. Found in Document A is that the boys externalize their fears into the figure of a beast. Also stated in Document A, is that a mother’s job is to “dispel the terrors of the unknown”. In other words,
Initially, the beast manifests into the form of fear. In the document, “The terrors of the unknown”, it states that, “They externalize these fears into the figure of a ‘beast’.” (Doc.A). This shows that the young children stranded on the island let their imaginations rule their lives, manifesting the beast in their fear. With no mothers to comfort them, these boys have become to reliable on their imaginations, which have, in return, caused them to believe that the beast is what they fear.
Throughout the book Lord of the Flies, William Golding makes many references to the Bible and the role of good and evil. During the children’s first meeting, a small boy questions Ralph on what he will “do about the snake-thing” (Golding 35). The boy then goes on to explain that the snake-thing, i.e. the beastie, wanted to eat him. Golding makes an allusion to the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis, where Satan disguises himself as a serpent and tricks Adam and Eve. The beastie is also portrayed as a snake and represents evil like Satan.
Could it possibly just be the fears that the individual boys have? Or is it the darkness in each of their hearts? Therefore, in Lord of The Flies, is the beast just fear? Do the boys just imagine their worst fears because they are scared? Think about it, little boys stranded on an island with no one there to comfort them, for their nightmares are coming to life.
The “beast” cannot be confined in any one symbol alone, as it could represent a plethora of ideas. In Lord of the Flies, the “beast” first manifests itself through fear, when the marooned children “externalize these fears into the image of a ‘beast,’” (Doc. A). It then represents war, as when the children refer to the dead parachutist, a direct result of war, as the “beast”. Finally, it symbolizes the savagery of human nature, when the children “screamed, struck, bit, tore” (Doc. F) Simon to pieces.
I do not think we are aware of the savagery that our inner “beasts” are capable of. The boys do many things on the island that they never assume that they are able of. When the boys’ innocence is stripped of them from being stranded
In my project, I depicted the symbolism of Jack and the pig in William Golding’s Lord Of The Flies. In the beginning, Jack names himself a hunter; this illustrates the savage side of human nature. As the novel continues, and the desire to hunt and kill increases, and Jack finds himself not only a hunter but also feeling like he is being hunted. This change represents how fear overpowers hope and fuels the dominance of savagery. In the end of the novel, Jack turns from hunting pigs to hunting Ralph.
The boys believe the Beast is a large animal or a ghost. When a dead parachuter falls on the island, they assume that the parachuter is the beast. In contrast, Simon realizes the beast is only in their minds. He tells the boys, “what I mean is… maybe it’s only us”(89). As a result of believing in the Beast, the boys became more savage.
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
Brayden French Mrs. Cuneo English 9 13 February 2023 Title How could someone completely lose their sense of civilization? The Lord of the Flies is a novel by William Golding. In the novel, a group of boys crash land on an island and attempt to form their own government with Ralph as their chief. Many events unfold causing the boys to drift away from their organized government.
However the beast truly is only within them, Golding uses the beast to symbolise and show the reader the evil within everyone including a pack of young boys, the concept the boys have of the beast begins to break down the order on the island.
Literary Analyses of the Lord of the Flies The Lord of the Flies demonstrates a wide variety of symbolism; from Christ to Satan the children are portrayed in an abstract manner to represent these religious beings, as well as a symbol of great strife for power. Two of the main symbolic devices are used in the form of a mystical Conch and a cumbersome Sow’s head perched atop a stake; however these symbols represent very different ideas. Next the Lord of the Flies demonstrates the burden and struggle of power in multiple ways. William Golding included within this novel the power of symbolism, using inanimate objects, characters, or even landmasses to represent ideals derived from basic human morals and Christian religion that has a major influence
Golding says “The boys broke into shrill, exciting cheering” (41) in the beginning of the novel, then at the end of the novel says, “A great clamor rose among the savages” (164). William Golding who wrote The Lord of the Flies changes his word choice from “boys” to “savages” to emphasize the fact that the boys change into savage creatures. Three symbols represent civilization and change into chaos over the course of the novel. The three symbols representing change are Piggy’s glasses, The fire, and the conch. These figures demonstrate the important theme that the calm civilization will soon break out into disorder.
Symbols are objects, characters, colours or figures that are often used in literature to add a greater meaning to a text. One must comprehend the significance of symbols to fully understand a literary work. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the Conch and the Fire are both important symbols that are presented in the allegory. Nonetheless, it is evident that the Fire is more significant than the Conch when one considers the plot, character and theme. To begin with, the Fire plays a more important role than the Conch because it continues to effectively develop the plot.
