ipl-logo

Symbols In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

1050 Words5 Pages

Symbolism is the use of, an object or a person, to represent something more abstract. These objects or people are referred to as symbols. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses several symbols to communicate his themes and messages about society. Of these symbols, the two most significant to his message are the fire and the conch shell. In contrast, In Damselfly, Chandra Prasad prefers to directly relay this message through the characters' thoughts and actions. In Lord of the Flies, the novel begins and ends with the conch. In the beginning, the boys create laws and a small society using the conch. Additionally, throughout the novel, the conch slowly loses power and control over the boys, during this time the boys' society slowly begins …show more content…

Rittika's actions and slow descent into madness illustrate the collapse of society and its standards when away from civilization. After Rish kills Pablo, Rittika begins preaching her animalistic and savage ideals to the other children saying…“We’ll make our own rules, without anyone telling us what’s right or wrong. We’ll live how we want--- for as long as we want” (Prasad 254). Ritika’s mental collapse transforms her from a rich, popular, law-abiding student, into a savage, mean, animal. This is because of the absence of society, which eliminates her need to be civilized. Additionally, as a result, she begins to want to live without anyone “telling us what’s right or wrong” illustrating how she no longer wishes to obey social norms and morals. In addition, Chandra Prasad also uses Rish’s actions against Pablo on the island to further her message about civilization. After Pablo is freed from his shackles, he immediately begins teasing Rish and attempting to provoke him. Eventually, Pablo crosses a line, and Rish snaps, which is when he …``embarrassed and furious, sprang forward and jabbed the knife into Pablo’s stomach. One swift play, in and out. Pablo winced and toppled over awkwardly on his side” (Prasad 252). Rish’s agitation comes as a result of the continued collapse of the society around him. As a result of, living on the island his sense of right and wrong has completely blurred, which is something that is normally upheld by society's laws. Additionally, Rish’s actions exhibit his animal instincts as he does this without thinking later and being confused about what happened. Despite delivering the same message, Prasad and Golding both took very different

Show More
Related
524 Words | 3 Pages

In his Novel, Lord of the Flies William Golding tells a story of group of boys who are evaluated on a desert island with no grownups to guide their behavior. In the novel, there are 7 main characters: Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon, Roger , Sam, and Eric, in which they all try to find their way to survival on the paradise like island. In reality, this island is full of many challenges. Throughout their time on the island they discover that there might be an evil “snake like “ beast living on the island. While the boys try to find the beast, some of them get aggressive and savage-like, trying to take leadership.

Read More
439 Words | 2 Pages

Symbols are everywhere. Readers see symbols in all kinds of literary works. Symbols are used to represent ideas and concepts in literary works. Authors use symbols to help the readers understand themes. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the theme present is that societies need some kind of social order to live in peace.

Read More
822 Words | 4 Pages

The conch was the last thing that held onto democracy, and after the conch had been destroyed, everything that Piggy and Ralph had fought for had been demolished and disappeared forever on the island. Overall, the conch symbolized order, law and democracy in the beginning of the Lord of the Flies. It was mainly used to call assemblies and allowed the person that held it to share their thoughts without being interrupted by another. As the novel advanced, the boys grew more savage which lead to the diminishing of the conch and Piggy. Along with the conch, the civil instinct of the boys had

Read More
431 Words | 2 Pages

In chapters five to six of the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the author uses the conch to symbolize order and power. In chapter five, Ralph uses the conch to have a meeting, using the conch to show that he is the leader and tries to keep the boys in check. In chapter six, the conch lost its power to keep all of the boys in order. Throughout these chapters, the significance of the conch changes. For instance, in chapter five, Ralph uses the conch to call the boys for a meeting.

Read More
692 Words | 3 Pages

When an author uses symbolism, a dove can symbolize peace, and a black bird can be the picture of death. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities in a story through motions, words and objects. It evokes a spark in the reader to give them an opportunity to get an insight of the writer’s mind and how they view the world. Symbolism works together with other writing tools to create a deeper meaning in a story like Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin. Baldwin created a big picture with little symbols that he worked in throughout his story.

Read More
568 Words | 3 Pages

Symbolism is basically the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. The author uses the symbols to express mystical ideas, emotions and state of mind. Generally it is an object representing an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant and sometimes even a word spoken by a person might have a symbolic value. The author uses symbolism to display his perspective of the nature of human. Piggy, Jack, Simon and Ralph could be viewed as symbolic characters in William Golding’s novel the Lord of the Flies.

Read More
771 Words | 4 Pages

You see someone that has had enough of someone or something and they take action into their own hands and take care of it. In short stories the protagonist is usually flawed by the changes that have happened to them and they are driven to get revenge. * *In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” we have a dystopian world where everyone and everything is equal.

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

A symbol is a representation of an idea, concept, or object used to communicate a more profound meaning within a piece of literature or a work of art. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbolism to advance the novel's themes further. The book, published in 1954, follows a group of choir boys stranded on a deserted island. The boys establish rules and a system of organization. Still, it all turns to flames because without adults to serve as a civilizing impulse, the children turn to violence and brutality.

Read More
1539 Words | 7 Pages

Gertrudis’s story emphasizes the importance of following the heart's desires and being independent of tradition. Tita’s shift in character furthermore proves that traditional practices that oppress and harm her should be challenged to become free from the constraints of tradition. These two sisters' journeys to happiness and freedom are personal revolutions that challenge traditional society. This story is about societal issues from the past and present. It portrays the societal restrictions and expectations that are put on women.

Read More
1036 Words | 5 Pages

This is an example of how the conch symbolizes the rules within the boys society because the conch is what tells when the boys when they can talk. The rules created by the conch is what led to a lot of the boys disagreements which slowly drove them to become¨beasts¨. Overall the conch is the most symbolic piece in Lord of the Flies because it symbolizes the boys rules, their civilization, and power over the boys. This is important to the theme of the story because the conch helps the boys realize that they are the beast all along. The conch helps the boys to notice this because when it breaks they realize it was controlling them all along and making them the

Read More
969 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
1480 Words | 6 Pages

The repressed self is released out by detaching from reality. This detachment allows her to be free from social norms as her madness now allows her to no longer conform to cultural bounds. Her final protest, thus, comes out in the form of insanity. She can now escape from the cage of her husband by refusing to accept her identity as a repressed woman. This text thus brings to focus the dark theme that cultural and social expectations of women are so rigid that the protagonist has to give up her identity as a sane woman to finally achieve the freedom she is denied through

Read More
1093 Words | 5 Pages

In the story, the women are oppressed by the society. This is narrated through the delivery of the main antagonist’s id, the gender inequality in enforcing laws and the marginalization of women. As a result of Rasheed’s id, Mariam and Laila are consistently physically and emotionally

Read More
615 Words | 3 Pages

The conch shattered because all the boys are starting to turn evil, and chaos is breaking out between the boys. The conch certainly establishes an orderly society until it breaks which results in anarchy. There are many symbols in the novel The Lord of the Flies that all represent civilization and transform into craziness. The first symbol is Piggy’s glasses which break because of all the chaos. The second symbol is the fire which grows and turns the boys into beasts.

Read More
1100 Words | 5 Pages

Symbolism in general is the building blocks to all sources of literature and can shape a piece of writing in many ways. Symbols in general can portray what something or someone represents, giving a deeper and metaphorical meaning to a symbol. Symbolism is often used within poetry, literature, music, or even art. This is how an author conveys a different meaning to the audience. For example artists may use the color “red” not only because of the color theory, but to convey love, passion, and maybe even health.

Read More

More about Symbols In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Related Topics

Open Document