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What Does The Beast Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

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The boys bit and clawed at the lifeless body. A fellow human, a former friend, dead at the hands of savage-turned, viscous beings. With no one to reprimand horrendous behavior, one must wonder what becomes of once well-mannered boys. When free from rules, constraints, and guidance, the innate human urge to reject civilization and exert brutality is undeniable, as demonstrated in William Goldings Lord of the Flies through the symbolism of inner savagery, imagery representing inhuman behavior, and foreshadowing. In Lord of the Flies, the imaginary beast is a symbolic figure that displays the change in humans as they stray farther away from civilization. The young boys suppose there is a beast that lives on the island, most of the boys believe …show more content…

Jack Merridew shows us from early on that he has moral sense and civilization ideas embedded in him. “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages.” (42). Throughout the book, Jack’s ideals change significantly. It begins when Jack was hunting for his first pig. Jack was “bent double” and his nose was “only a few inches from the humid earth” Jack was described as “dog-like, uncomfortably on all fours” (48). The descriptive words and effect of Jack portraying animalistic actions tells us he is losing the idea of what a civilized mannered human is. After Jack rises to chieftainship and forms his tribe, the description of the murder of Simon confirms the turning of humans into savages. The crowd of boys “surged” after Simon, before they “leapt on to the beast, struck, bit, and tore” (153). Not only did the boys brutally murder Simon, but they also rid themselves of spears and used their inherited weapons, such as teeth and hands, to rip Simon apart. There were no words and only movements of “the tearing of teeth and claws” (153). Golding paints vicious scenes in the reader’s mind to give an effect of bloodthirsty, ferocious individuals instead of little boys which displays the boy's development into

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In the Time of the Butterflies is a book about 4 sisters, Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa. The book is about the three girls growing up and their experiences during the time of the underground movement to overthrow Trujillo. The book was written in memory of Dedé’s 3 sisters who had been ambushed and murdered, which we are aware of since the beginning of the novel. The beginning chapter of the book is describing Dedé as she waits for a woman who is going to interview her about her three sisters, she then goes into a flashback she has of her family talking at the dinner table and her father mentions someone named Trujillo, which then gives a hint at who this book might be formed around. Through the book, we read stories about times in the girls’ lives when they were going to school at Inmaculada Concepcion and being at home and falling in love, as well as there run ins with Trujillo himself.

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When considering the beastie in the Lord of the Flies, Piggy and Simon's comments reveal that the boys' fear of the beastie could just be their own fears. Or, in other words, the beast on the island is them. Piggy first builds on this idea, saying that "I know there is no fear... Unless we get frightened of people" (Golding 84). Simon addresses this topic in a similar fashion to Piggy.

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At the start of the story, the beast is introduced and represents a manifestation of the boy's fear of the unknown. Most boys know that it isn’t real and Jack explains to the ones that do, “ Well then—I’ve been all over this island. By myself. If there were a beast I’d have seen it. Be frightened because you’re like that—but there is no beast in the forest” ( Golding 83).

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In the boy’s heads, the beast is a source of the evil and darkness on the island on the island. Although, in reality,the beast is just a representation of the bad side of every person, which is causing the safety of the life on the island to quickly deteriorate. Simon begins to understand this concept even before his run in with the Lord of the Flies, and whilst a fight over how real the beast was, he trys to help the other boys come to terms with this idea. Anxiously, Simon explains to them, "Maybe, maybe there is a beast... What I mean is maybe it's only us" (p. 89). As a result to Simon's declaration, the other boys, who had finally come to a conclusion creating a moment of peace, immediately reignited their argument, more fiercely this time than the last.

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7. “You're a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!” (11.187) This passage signifies the corrupted mind of a man. When Jack becomes the leader of his own tribe, he takes control and uses the power of the boys to get rid of all obstacles.

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Jack’s fear of the beast strays him away from civilization. He fails to realize the purpose of rules and only focuses on physical strength. The only thing separating humans and animals is their ability to think. Fear hinders Jack’s ability to think and converts him into

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Edward Kennedy Ellington was an American jazz musician, talented composer, and leader of many bands and orchestras. His career lasted over 50 years, where he composed thousands of pieces of music and joined numerous bands. Duke Ellington was always surrounded by music but when he joined a band and moved to New York, his career launched, beginning the start to his fame. He was said to be one of the greatest musicians during the Harlem Renaissance, and displayed that through the success of his music and bands. He experimented with all styles of music but the one that stuck and changed the course of music was jazz.

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Jack's personality serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of unbridled authority and the catastrophic effects of mob mentality. His metamorphosis from choir director to ruthless hunter emphasizes the value of civilization and norms in sustaining order. The author used Jack's persona to demonstrate how a lack of control and organization may result in anarchy and violence. Finally, Jack's persona serves as a warning about the hazards of human nature and the significance of controlling our primitive appetites. The author emphasizes the importance of civilization and norms in maintaining order and preventing the growth of cruelty and savagery through Jack.

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For example, when Roger was tempted to throw a rock at one of the younger boys he held back because his arm was “conditioned by a civilization” (Golding 62). This quote shows how earlier in the novel, the Christian-based morals of society held Roger back from throwing a rock at another boy. But Roger goes on to murder a different character, proving the nearness to his faith was the anchor keeping him from brutality. Jack’s character is an ideal example of this idea, because in the beginning of the book, although arrogant, he was friendly with Ralph and still ‘normal.’ However, throughout the book, we start to see a different side of him, shown through his unusually vigorous desire to hunt, his need for power, his idolatry, and his violent nature.

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As Jack’s moral character deteriorates, it brings his savagery to the surface, allowing the remnants of civilization to be forgotten. In the beginning of the novel, a group of young boys find themselves alone, without any adults, on an island after

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Jack proposes that he forms his own tribe.. Within this rebel tribe he suggests that they act only as savages. The temptation to hunt won many of the boys over in favor of orderly society as suggested by Ralph. The two groups of boys reach the culmination of the conflict when logic battles savagery; “ ‘Which is

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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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Jack is blinded by his own ambition and he doesn't understand the importance of being civilized and having order. The split of the tribes is the tipping point for Jack, and where he turns full on savage. He

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The collective fear of the unknown leads to the untimely and accidental death of Simon. The distress present in the boys causes their impulsive action, of Simon’s horrific murder. Fear of “the beast” an imaginary creature causes the boys to act irrational, and provokes survival instincts as a result of life threatening terror. The fear of the boys in this moment is epitomized when they chant, “Kill the beast!, Cut his throat, Spill his blood!” (168).

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The name “Lord of the Flies” is a reference to the name of the Biblical devil Beelzebub, which symbolizes the evil that potentially exists in the heart of every human. The beast was first introduced in the novel by a boy, described as “shrimp of a boy, about six years old, and one side of his face was blotted out by a mulberry-colored birthmark.” (Golding, 27). In reality, the beast is not real, it actually represents the children 's fears about themselves. The boys end up letting out the beast, which is the savagery hiding within them.

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