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What Does The Fire Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

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In Lord of The Flies by William Golding, symbols are implemented throughout the novel as an indirect yet clear way, providing sufficient context for the reader to comprehend and identify the leitmotif that has been proposed by the author. Fire is used to symbolize life, hope, and survival of the stranded kids, as well as destruction and death. By using one symbol to express two very divergent meanings, Golding is able to highlight that human life and civilization can be used for either positivity and ambition, or corruption and bereavement , thus accentuating the importance of decision making as an individual, as well as the cooperation of a community. Early in the novel, the stranded kids on the island have frequent meetings led by Ralph in order to discuss their essential priorities and organize the roles required to obtain them. According to Ralph, fire is superior above everything else because “If a ship comes near the island they may notice us” …show more content…

Jack and the choir boys make this mistake and go off to a pig hunt, leaving their duty and letting the fire die. Disappointed by the lack of cooperation, Ralph calls a meeting to discuss the significance of the fire. Shaking his head in despair, he says, “The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going… Can’t you see we... ought to die before we let the fire out” (80-81)? Although the team effort is slowly decaying and the individual's’ roles are ignored, Ralph continues to point out the the importance of keeping the fire alive by comparing it to their own lives. Ralph keeps the fire burning, meaning that he is also keeping the whole group alive and encouraged. By emphasizing Ralph’s leadership and choices, Golding connects back to the theme, expressing the importance of an individual’s decisions and its effect on the whole

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653 Words | 3 Pages

In William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, the reader comprehends symbols that go throughout the book. These symbols are key factors which determine the importance of the novel. The symbols are a very important part of the literary content. In order to really follow along and understand the story, the reader must understand these symbols for what they mean as well as how they are used. Some of the symbols include the conch, the island itself, and fire.

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372 Words | 2 Pages

I think that the signal fire represents the boys on the island saving out in hope that they will eventually be rescued. Jack and the others stop caring so much because I think they believe they will be there forever but Ralph cares so much about it. He is scared of being on the island forever so he focuses so much on the fire in hope of being saved. “They let the bloody fire out.” (pg.71)

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625 Words | 3 Pages

Ralph calls another meeting to reinforce the rules they made for survival, such as keeping the fire burning. Jack rebels against the rules and influences many other boys to follow. During Jack’s speech, he uses ethos, pathos, and logos to try and persuade his audience.

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857 Words | 4 Pages

Instead of giving up on the boys he is determined to keep going in his new system. He gathers the boys and tells them, “Look at us!... And yet we can’t keep a fire going to make smoke… Can’t you see we ought to – out to die before we let the fire out?”(81). The system crumbles under Ralph, yet it does deteriorate Ralph from his goal. It fuels him to achieve more and increases his determination to help the boys.

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1261 Words | 6 Pages

As the fire continues, it soon becomes out of control. The mulberry child even gets lost in the fire, implying that he gets killed from the flames. None of the boys want to admit that they let this happen, because they do not want to confess that they let their society get out of hand. As we can see already, the fire is losing the hope it once had. The society that Ralph is trying to create is already losing order, and some individuals are starting to go with their instincts instead of reason.

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481 Words | 2 Pages

Without the fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning. The fire’s the most important thing on the island, because, because––‘” (page 142). This shows that Ralph has lost his fluency in words when doing a speech, and seems to be confused on what he actually wants to do.

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989 Words | 4 Pages

All things are capable of change in our world, and the symbolism of fire in Lord of the Flies is no different. In the book a group of boys land on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere. They try to build a society built on the ideas of the adult society they came from. At first the boys seemed to be structured and ordered, but soon their primal instincts of savagery came out changing their system into a horrifying nightmare. Throughout Lord of the Flies, the strength and purpose of the fire created by the boys seems to be a meter of the boys connection to civilization, where towards the beginning it is strong and valiant, and then slowly loses its importance and burns out and finally it encircles the whole island due to its savage purposes

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1490 Words | 6 Pages

Out there. [You] said, ‘[You would] keep the fire going and [you] let it out!’” (Golding 70). In this particular instance, the fire embodies a physical representation of the boys’ connection to civilization. Keeping that idea in mind, Ralph’s fury with Jack’s negligence towards the fire demonstrates his pragmatic attitude towards hierarchies and rules within the group; he feels that everyone must prioritize them or the group will lose their connection to society.

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272 Words | 2 Pages

“The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool” by Stephen King the fresh quotes. The conflicts that charlotte faces in the book True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyelsupport the theme be careful in who you trust. One example of being careful who you trust is When Zechariah gave Charlotte the dirk and tells her she will need it on pg. 25.

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573 Words | 3 Pages

He looked at the twins and then back at Ralph. The fire’s only been out an hour or two. We can light up again” (70). The fire signifies the only hope that Ralph has been holding

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778 Words | 4 Pages

Without the fire, we can't be rescued. I'd like to put on war paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning. The fire is the most important thing on the island, because-” says Ralph, but despite these efforts, everything he says to Jack goes in one ear and out the other. He is now only obsessed with the vicious hunting he wants to do, and the great gratification he will feel when successfully hunting.

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916 Words | 4 Pages

Ralph says this after he sees a passing ship the did not see their fire because Jack and the hunters let the fire out, and hope of getting rescued is diminished. Later on they argue and fight who should have been up at the fire tending it and later on the symbol of hope comes because they feel more safe when the fire comes back. As the book goes on the fire has a new meaning and symbol to it and that is destruction of things and it all starts with Jack trying to smoke Ralph out of hiding and the destruction of the forest happens which also seems that Golding was trying to use the fire as if it were the boys starting off as hopeful but then turning bad and destroying each other one after

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1077 Words | 5 Pages

Government organizations often use symbols to portray their power or military strength. Writers also use symbols to convey a message to the reader. In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbols to help readers track the loss of civility of the boys. The fire is both a symbol of hope and the reckless behavior of the boys.

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1057 Words | 5 Pages

Ralph says, “The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make” (80). As an effort to show the boys their dire circumstances, he tries to convict them, including himself, of their ignorance. On the contrary, Jack Merridew counters Ralph’s authority with the proposition of thrill and amusement.

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835 Words | 4 Pages

Symbols are objects, characters, colours or figures that are often used in literature to add a greater meaning to a text. One must comprehend the significance of symbols to fully understand a literary work. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the Conch and the Fire are both important symbols that are presented in the allegory. Nonetheless, it is evident that the Fire is more significant than the Conch when one considers the plot, character and theme. To begin with, the Fire plays a more important role than the Conch because it continues to effectively develop the plot.

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