Symbols In Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

Everyone makes lots of mistakes in their lives, but some people make too many and never learn. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding is a novel about a group of boys stranded on an island, resulting in their lives never being the same again. There are many objects that symbolize very important things in this story. The three most important symbols in Lord of the Flies are the fire, the boys’ hope; the beast, their fear; and the conch shell, their respect for one another. All of these are connected in some way, and binds the boys together. If the bond breaks, then so does the group. The fire is the boys’ hope of getting off the island they are stranded on. In one scene, their hope grew as the fire grew. “The flame flapped higher and the boys broke into a cheer” (41). So as long as the fire stays alive, their hope will not die. Later on, after they find the “beast” on top of the mountain, the fire dies. Ralph sounds like his hope is dying with the fire later on. “‘As long as there’s light we’re brave enough. But then? And now that thing squats

In the beginning, the conch brought the boys together on the beach. “Ralph found his breath and blew a series of short blasts. Piggy exclaimed: ‘There’s one!’ A child had appeared among the palms, about a hundred yards along the beach” (17). More boys appeared later, and that’s what made them a group. When Jack has gone mad with power later in the book, the boys at least still have a little respect for the conch after Ralph blows it. “At length Ralph took his lips away and paused to get his breath back. His first words were a gasp, but audible. ‘-calling an assembly.’ The savages guarding the neck muttered among themselves but made no motion” (175). Jack’s group of boys was slowly growing insane, but they still had respect for the conch. Slowly their respect for one another fades and finally