Symbols In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Words: 901
Pages: 4
Open Document
While trying to keep an island civilized Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and some of the other boys use many symbols to try to keep everyone from turning evil. In the novel Lord of the Flies, author William Golding uses symbolism from the beginning of the book to the end. William Golding provides different symbols throughout the course of the novel Lord of the Flies, to show the deterioration of the island’s civilization and condition. Three symbols that are provided are Piggy’s glasses, the conch, and the pig’s head otherwise known as the Lord of the Flies.
Piggy’s glasses are an important symbol for the deteriorating civilization. First, is that the symbol is significant because it represents the condition of the island’s scenery and civilization. Golding states, “Piggy’s glasses flashed”, (23). The island is described perfectly by saying, “The shore was fledged with palm trees. These stood or leaned or reclined against the light and their green feathers were a hundred feet up in the air”, (9). In the beginning of the novel, both the island and Piggy’s …show more content…
The conch is important because it shows the struggle for the high hand of authority. For instance, “By the time Ralph finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded”, (30). Even in the beginning of the book the conch was a high hand of authority because it was able to summon all of the boys. Also Golding says, “The rock that struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist”, (164). By having the conch shatter, the island now has no high hand of authority, causing there to be chaos on the island. The change of the conch is significant because in the beginning the boys use the conch as the authority, but by the end of the novel the conch barely even matters along with the deteriorated civilization and island. Besides the conch the pig’s head (Lord of the Flies) is also a vital
Show More

Related Documents: Symbols In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Essay on Lord of the flies (symbols)

In the novel “Lord of The Flies” by William Golding the idea of civilisation vs. savagery becomes apparent. The novel is set around a group of school boys who become stranded on a remote tropical island, after there plane was shot down during WW3. The young school boys aged from 6-12 had to survive on their own without any adult supervision. Various symbols such as the conch shell, signal fire, Piggy's glasses and the boulder all helped to illustrate the battle between civilisation and savagery throughout…

Words 628 - Pages 3

Symbols and their strengths in Lord of The Flies Essay

Vandersteen ENG3U 2 June. 2014 The Power of Symbols When one is a member of a relatively stable society, it is fairly simple to declare that one would never engage in the kinds of violence that are observed in unstable societies. Objects and symbols however, can produce such a powerful grip on society that it drives some people to the point of desperation and irrationality due to the believed power that they are supposed to have. Throughout Golding’s The Lord of the Flies there are many examples of this that…

Words 1817 - Pages 8

Symbols In Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

Symbolism Defense In the novel, The Lord of The Flies by William Golding there are many symbolic items that go into a deeper meaning than what they actually are. Items such as the Conch Shell, Piggy’s Spectacles, The lord of the flies, and many more have symbolic value that dig deeper into the significance of them. These symbolic items enhance the meaning of the book and the way you think about it. Golding uses numerous objects in the book to enhance the meaning, an example of one of those objects…

Words 643 - Pages 3

Symbols In Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

In today’s world, we have many symbols that have deep meanings to us from our present and past. We have the eagle, United States Flag, and more. In the book Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbols that the boys hold on to and have a deep meaning too. The three main symbols in the book are the conch, fire, and face paint which have a deeper meaning to the boys. The readers find this out right away while reading this page turning book. The boys acquire symbols which causes them to have more…

Words 582 - Pages 3

Lotf Essay

Lord of the Flies Essay Imagine being stuck on a plane crashing to a deserted island with lots of chaos and the only thing holding it together…goes away. That’s how it was for the 12 boys in the plane crash that survived. During the novel you encounter 3 main symbols, the conch shell, Piggy’s specs and the signal fire. These symbols help hold the island together and without them the boy are lost and do not know what to do. The conch shell represents the leadership authority and whoever is holding…

Words 615 - Pages 3

Lord Of The Flies Essay

EAE3U Unit 2 – Novel Ideas Activity 3 – Sharing Information Essay-Style Questions for Lord of the Flies Section A – Novel a) Compare and contrast two characters from the novel. Lord of the flies is a novel centered more upon the actions of Jack and Ralph. In the novel, by William Golding, Jack and Ralph are two of the older boys, and they quickly become the two leaders of the island; One by election and one by force. Both of them come from the same civilization, and know how to follow rules, though…

Words 650 - Pages 3

Lord Of The Flies Essay

Lord of the Flies Essay In William Golding’s ‘Lord of the flies’ a group of British School boys are stranded on a deserted island when their plane crashes. The freedom of having no adults or rules is taken advantage of as the boys behaviours slowly turn from being civilised school boys, to dangerous savages. They go from living in a society with rules to an uncivilized society where jealousy and evil over powers. The beast they were hunting turns out to be the inner darkness inside each boy and was…

Words 751 - Pages 4

How Does Golding Show Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

LORD OF THE FLIES ESSAY RD Any human will revert to savagery when removed from civilisation. When the boys get lost on the island they turn on each other and become savages mr. Golding planed the whole novel “lord of the flies’’ around the thought that all humans are capable of the same evil as adults including children. The next three paragraphs will be about three topics. They are How the name of the characters relate to their personalities and their actions. The weather when something bad is…

Words 544 - Pages 3

Essay on Civilization and William Golding

‘Lord of the Flies’ essay by William Golding The novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding develops the idea of how easily civilization can revert to savagery when a plane crash-lands on a deserted island, stranding a group of British school boys. They are forced to fend for themselves because there are no adults on the island. The boys try to set up some rules to loosely mimic how they lived in Britain. In the novel, Golding uses symbols to show the difference between the two groups of civilization…

Words 747 - Pages 3

William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Hannah Blair Lord of the Flies Story Elements essay 5/16 Imagine being stranded on an island with a group of kids. Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is a story that took place in the 1950s about a group of children not survive a plane crash and have to learn how to survive alone on an island. Golding uses story elements to show that without society's rigid rules, anarchy and savagery can come to light. Character development was a major aspect of the story. In the beginning of the book…

Words 805 - Pages 4