Lord Of The Flies Setting Analysis

Riya Jain
Mrs. Ryglicki
English 2H
23 December 2016
Essay choice #3 In some novels, specific settings are presented in conjunction with certain symbolic objects to reinforce the novel's theme and comments on humanity. In a novel, development the story and allegorical/symbolical meanings come from the environment and atmosphere which a setting creates. The character’s behavior and reaction also depends on the setting. In some setting a certain object would be normal, but in other settings having that certain object and the use of it could create symbolism. William Golding also creates a setting that is important to his story.and uses certain objects portraying in the setting to connect to humanity. As Golding mentions
Savagery. In other words, LOTF portrayed the decline of civilization and humans turning into savages. The evil within the boys takes control as they spend more time on the island, isolated from the rest of society, and this decline is portrayed by Piggy's specs. Throughout the novel, Piggy represents the civilization and the rules. As Piggy loses his ability to see, the boys lose their vision of that civilization. When the story begins, Piggy can see clearly with both lenses of his spectacles intact, and the boys are still civilized. For example, at one of their first meetings, the boys decide that they "can't have everybody talking at once". However this doesn't last for long. After some time passes, Jack and the hunters become more concerned with slaughtering a pig than with being rescued and returning to civilization. Then later on, In an ensuing scuffle, Jack knocks Piggy's specs from his face, breaking one of the lenses against the mountain rocks and making him lose one side of his vision. Lastly, after Jack forms his own tribe of savages, he and two of his followers ambush Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric, and steal Piggy’s glasses. Then Jack returns to Castle Rock, "trotting steadily, exulting in his achievement," as he has practically abandoned all ties to civilized life (p. 168). This shows how as Piggy’s vision/glasses are lost, the boys loose the civility inside
A majority of the island is taken up by the jungle, which is used by many authors as an archetype to represent death and decay. In fact, since, according to the boys, the jungle is the lair of the beast, it, too, symbolizes the darkness naturally present within humans that is capable of ruling their lives. This evil eventually spreads to almost every boy on the island, just as in the jungle, "darkness poured out, submerging the ways between the trees till they were dim and strange as the bottom of the sea" (p.