Lord of the flies
Emily Bardman
Blue 3
6-2-11
_Lord of the Flies_
William Golding uses symbolism many times in his book _Lord of the Flies_. He uses numerous representations all throughout the book to get the reader to recognize the theme which is that human nature is inherently evil. When a group of British boys get into a plane crash during World War II, they establish rules and a chief. But, later in the book, they start to turn savage. Golding uses a conch in the book to represent order. He uses a pair of glasses as a symbol of seeing what is right. Fire is used to represent rescue, which the boys tend to forget about. These three symbols help demonstrate Golding's message in the novel.
Golding uses the conch the boys find in the beginning of the story as a symbol for order. When Ralph wakes up, he finds a boy named Piggy. Then, they both find a shell called a conch. Piggy tells Ralph how to blow into it. '"We can use this to call the others. They'll come when they hear us-"' (16). Ralph spat into the conch and called the first meeting the boys have ever had. They made a rule that only the person who is holding the conch can talk. The conch became one of the most important things on the island. "Hands where reaching for the conch in the light of the setting sun" (81). The boys where very civil at the time and even though they would not get in trouble if they disobeyed, they felt as if it was necessary. As time passed the boys began to forget the rules and become more and more savage like. '"Conch! Conch!' shouted Jack. 'We don't need the conch anymore…'" (101-102). Jack is the boy who influences the others to forget the rules. This causes a lot of trouble upon the island. Jack forms his own tribe and most of the boys follow him to Castle Rock. By the end of the book, nobody cares about the conch. "…the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" (181). At this point of the book, the boys in Jack's tribe are completely savage. Golding uses a conch as
Blue 3
6-2-11
_Lord of the Flies_
William Golding uses symbolism many times in his book _Lord of the Flies_. He uses numerous representations all throughout the book to get the reader to recognize the theme which is that human nature is inherently evil. When a group of British boys get into a plane crash during World War II, they establish rules and a chief. But, later in the book, they start to turn savage. Golding uses a conch in the book to represent order. He uses a pair of glasses as a symbol of seeing what is right. Fire is used to represent rescue, which the boys tend to forget about. These three symbols help demonstrate Golding's message in the novel.
Golding uses the conch the boys find in the beginning of the story as a symbol for order. When Ralph wakes up, he finds a boy named Piggy. Then, they both find a shell called a conch. Piggy tells Ralph how to blow into it. '"We can use this to call the others. They'll come when they hear us-"' (16). Ralph spat into the conch and called the first meeting the boys have ever had. They made a rule that only the person who is holding the conch can talk. The conch became one of the most important things on the island. "Hands where reaching for the conch in the light of the setting sun" (81). The boys where very civil at the time and even though they would not get in trouble if they disobeyed, they felt as if it was necessary. As time passed the boys began to forget the rules and become more and more savage like. '"Conch! Conch!' shouted Jack. 'We don't need the conch anymore…'" (101-102). Jack is the boy who influences the others to forget the rules. This causes a lot of trouble upon the island. Jack forms his own tribe and most of the boys follow him to Castle Rock. By the end of the book, nobody cares about the conch. "…the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" (181). At this point of the book, the boys in Jack's tribe are completely savage. Golding uses a conch as