Symbols In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Have you ever come across one of your favorite childhood toys? When you see this toy, you are reminded of the innocence of your childhood and your pleasant memories. However, to other people, this toy is simply a toy with no attached meaning to it. An object becomes a symbol of an idea or trait when meaning is applied to it through special events. This is why the same object could hold a different meaning to different cultures. While a Lion may symbolise pride in Lacey Township, it could symbolise savagery to those whose culture has applied a negative connotation to the animal through ancient stories. Through the development of a culture, meaning will be applied to objects or events, shaping the culture’s personality. For example, in the Lord of the Flies and in our own world, coveted objects to adolescents become symbols of the luxury of independence and

When the boys first arrive, they realise how dependent they were on the graciousness of their society when they struggle to find basic needs such as food. As a group of boys wander in the woods, they find a wild pig, but struggle to kill it. Consequently, it becomes of the boys’ mission to kill a pig in order to prove that they can live independently and survive without the help of adults. Finally, when the pig is slaughtered they realise their independence, but take it too far. A hunter named Jack breaks apart from the original group and states,“I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too” (Golding, 127). The new tribe of hunters become bloodthirsty and savage as they continue to kill pigs to prove their self-reliance. This example depicts how the symbolism presented by the coveted object, in this case, the pig, changed the traits of the culture that applied meaning to said