Nicholson Camille Ms. Nguyen 7th ELA 10 March 2023 A Symbol of Society What if you were told that there was more meaning to the novel Lord of the Flies than you really knew? Although not noticed by many, Lord of the Flies is a representation of civilization. What if William Golding wanted to replicate an entire society within a few pages? In this survival novel, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack are playing the roles that build up a society in the real world. After a plane crashes onto an island, twelve boys are forced to build up a civilization to ensure survival. Although it starts off as a depiction of civilization, its symbol starts falling apart throughout the book. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding wanted to reveal the fragility of civilization …show more content…
What could be better than lighting a fire that emits smoke for someone to notice? Adding on to Ralph’s leadership, he suggests a fire so that someone could rescue them, and all the boys rush to grab branches and leaves. “There’s another thing. We can help them find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain” (Golding 35). Ralph’s suggestion supports great leadership and adds society on the island. The fire symbolizes rescue and hope that one day they will earn the opportunity to leave the island alive. Hope is very crucial in society to achieve future expectations. Nevertheless, soon the fire grows out of control when Jack lights the entire island on fire to find and kill Ralph. “Smoke was seeping through the branches in white and yellow wisps, the patch of blue sky overhead turned to the color of a storm cloud and then the smoke billowed round him” (Golding 177). The symbol significantly changed to danger and destruction. Ironically, the large fumes of smoke is what ended up in their rescue as well. In our society, many benefits may come with a price of …show more content…
After Jack leaves a severed pig head in Simon’s quiet place, Simon sees the pig and hallucinates which lead to his discovery of the pig head’s role on the island. “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?” (Golding 130) It is revealed that the pig head, also referred to as Lord of the Flies, symbolized the evil within all the boys. The pig head was responsible for what drove Jack’s tribe to go savage. Especially in society, fear can consume people to do tragic and harmful things, which is imitated in Lord of the Flies. When Ralph was on the run from Jack’s tribe who were trying to kill him, he came across the pig head. Although he didn’t understand as well as Simon, he could interpret the evil and responsibility it held to enact chaos on the island, causing him to hit the pig head out of indescribable anger. “The skull regarded Ralph like one who knows all the answers and won’t tell. A sick fear and rage swept him.” (Golding 169). Ralph realized he was one of the people responsible for the chaos and a feeling of regret washed over him. The Lord of the Flies suggests that everyone in society has a form of evil inside them and is one of the main causes for certain