Symbolism in the “Lord of the flies”
The book “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding is a novel set during World War 2. It follows a group of English school boys who are stranded on a remote island. This book shows themes of the inherent savagery of humans and the thin line that separates humans from barbarism. Symbolism plays a particularly important role in the understanding of the book. The three main important symbols are the conch, the beast, and the signal fire.
The conch has an especially important role in understanding the book “Lord of the Flies.” The conch represents order and authority among the boys. But as the book progresses the conch loses its importance in the boys created society. This represents one of the main themes of the book, the inherent savagery of humans. As the book continues, order and authority decrease, indicating that the
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At the beginning of the book when the Signal Fire was first established, it represented rescue and a connection to civilization. Whereas at the end of the novel, the Signal Fire symbolized evil and savagery. The first time the fire was lit, it spread out of control and engulfed a tree in flames. (This possibly foreshadows the fire’s future symbolism of evil and savagery.) But later the boys figure out how fire works. “If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us …. we must make a fire.” The fire acts as a possible ----- to be rescued so it’s rather important to the group. But later in the story the fire acts as an evil and destructive force. “Then Ralph was running beneath trees …. they had smoked him out and set the island on fire”. The fire that once had the ability to save the kids, now acts as an offprint of their savagery. The signal fire changes its meaning throughout the book, at the beginning it represented rescue and a possible connection to civilization, but at the end of the novel it represented evil and