Lord of the Flies and the novel’s symbolism Lord of the flies is a thought-provoking novel authored by William Golding. This novel uses symbolism throughout its entirety to help portray importance and teach lessons. The book describes in detail the horrific exploits of a band of young children who make a striking transition from civilized to barbaric. Lord of the Flies commands a pessimistic outlook that seems to show that man is inherently tied to society, and without it, we would likely return to savagery. Golding does not come right out and show this however he uses symbolism to allow this idea to show. There are many different examples of symbolism in the Novel included are Piggy’s Glasses, the beast and fire.
Perhaps the most symbolic of these is fire. Throughout the novel fire served many, varied uses. Fire was used for warmth during the cold nights. It also created smoke, which served as a signal to potential rescuers. Perhaps the most basic, yet most important use for fire was for cooking. Without it the boys would not have been able to roast the pigs.
The importance for fire was not at first understood by the boys. In Chapter Four the fire is out while a ship is spotted in the distance. If the fire was lit it could have been used to make smoke. In turn the smoke may have been used to signal the ship and save the boys.
When questioned by Ralph, Jack and the others spew countless excuses to why the fire was not lit. Latter at a meeting Ralph tries to get his point across by saying, “Can’t you see we ought to — ought to die before Schnissel 2 the fire goes out?” (pg. 81 line 2) Jack and his followers would soon acknowledge the importance of fire. As the others soon would understand, Ralph and Piggy knew that whomever controlled the fire was the leader of the island. Fire appears to be symbolic of leadership and power.
The Term Paper on Fat Boy Ralph Boys Jack
Character PageRalphRalph is a fair boy of about twelve. He is the first character introduced in the story and is a dominant leader throughout most of the book. He finds the conch, a symbol of order and authority. He blows the conch and holds an assembly in which he is voted chief. Ralph stays focused on getting rescued and building shelters while most of the others play and hunt. By the end all ...
When Ralph held the power to create fire he was the leader of the Island. However the moment that Jack acquired this ability he became the ruler. While Ralph based his law around a democratic society. Jack did not. Jack was a dictator, he told the people what they wanted to hear and slowly but surely he gained their support. At first Ralph controlled fire.
However soon a fight erupted over Piggy’s spectacles. His glasses were used to start fires and rightfully they were a precious commodity. Jack eventually stole the eyeglasses and finally he became the true leader of the island and it’s victims. When Ralph controlled the fire it was seen as being a perfect device, it could do no harm. However when Jack received Prometheus’ gift it became misused and abused. The island in Lord of the flies is a microcosm of the world.
The novel portrays that man is tied to society and law, and without it, man would likely return to savagery. Lord of the flies was written in a time of the atomic bomb and the Cold War. The atom bomb, which brought an end to World War II, set the spark, which let to the arms race. Which began when Stalin’s scientists succeeded in launching their first atom bomb in nineteen forty-nine. When this novel was first published in 1954 many publications were commenting on the Cold War and the development of the USSR’s military. Lord of the flies like many other novels of the era very well may have been portraying the development of the arms race.
In this novel fire may also be seen as symbolically as the Schnissel 3 atomic bomb. Ralph the original holder of fire (the atom bomb) was a democratic leader while Jack stealer of the fire was a dictator. Ralph may been as the democratic United States while Jack seen as the dictatorship of the USSR. Just as the United States at first controlled the atom bomb Ralph controlled fire. As the USSR developed the bomb, Jack shortly gained the ability to create fire.
The Essay on Differences Between Jack And Ralph Represented Through Their Actions As Chief
Differences between Jack and Ralph represented through their actions as chief Jack and Ralph are two exceedingly different characters. Jack is the id, the type of personality that acts on impulse in order to receive immediate gratification. Ralph is the ego, a decision maker. Jack is power hungry and harbors a deadly need to control all around him, but Ralph considers himself another one of the ...
When Ralph controlled fire it was used appropriately however when Jack had fire it was used for unethical acts. This mirrored the feeling of the United States to the arms race. They feared that the USSR would bring about destruction with the atomic bomb. Golding may be simply showing his stance on the matter and telling his view on the possible future of the atom bomb. Lord of the flies is a thought-provoking novel. It shows mans tie to society and his need for rules and law.
The novel also portrays the time period of the Cold War and the fear of what a single discovery could lead to. Golding tells of how Jack gained control of fire and misuses it. The novel uses symbolism throughout to achieve the above. Without this use full technique Golding could not have achieved his lesson to Man. This was the most important goal and in due part to symb.
