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What Does The Fire Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

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Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is a novel in which the subjects of savagery versus civilization is explored. In the midst of World War II, a group of British school boys land on an uninhabited island after their plane crashes. Serving as a microcosm for the current state of the world, the novel demonstrates two major themes; man’s inclination toward evil and violence as well as man’s desire for social and political order. Golding illustrates these themes through the boys’ battle for survival and order along with the development of symbols throughout the story. In Lord of the Flies, the conch, the Lord of the Flies, and the fire are a few of the symbols employed in an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature and savagery. Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel, and many of its …show more content…

When the fire is burning, Golding conveys a sense of promise of rescue. In contrast, when the fire is extinguished, Golding conveys a sense of loss as well as the stark realization that the boys have lost sight of their dreams of rescue, accepting their savage lives. As a result, the fire’s function is to act as a measurement of the remaining civilized instinct within the group. The fire not only stands for hope and rescue, but for chaos and destruction. The fire is uncontrollable, therefore causing chaos and obliteration to the natural wonders of the island. This aspect of the fire is a representation of the unpredictability of human savagery as opposed to humanity. Ironically, in the final chapter of the novel, the boys are rescued by a naval ship as a result of the fire. However, rather than the controlled signal fire used in attracting the ship, it is a fire of savagery, produced in an ineffective attempt to kill

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