Important Symbols in Lord of the Flies by William Golding

In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, he uses unique elements to symbolize many concepts throughout the story. The two most important but differing symbols used throughout the novel are the Conch and Sow’s head symbolically used by the author to demonstrate the transition of good to evil as the darkness of savagery slowly begins to powerfully overtake the boys’ mental concept of their civilian nature that they were born into. Both symbolically represent a certain importance and power to the boys as they fight to maintain order and civility on the island while trying to contain control over the group of young boys as they begin to abandon all ties to their once civilized life and mindset that they once knew. Isolation and daily struggles to survive on the island lead to the transition to killing and becoming more barbaric. The taste of killing and power becomes an overpowering obsession that the boys cannot consciously control. Lord of the Flies is a novel using different elements to show symbolism of different people in society and their reactions when cut off from the world and left to survive on their own. The conch and sow’s head are used as power over the group of boys. Jack Uses the conch to try and keep everyone working together, while Jack uses the sow’s head to threaten and show that meat and killing is the only importance in staying alive. Both boys have two different concepts and mental thinking of how things should be run on the island. Jack and Ralph’sShow MoreRelatedThe Powers of the Symbols in Lord of the Flies929 Words   |  4 PagesLord of the Flies is a novel that is all about symbols that have different powers which is used on the boys. Two of the symbols which are the conch and the sow’s head contain powers that are opposite of each other and they have a great affect on the boys. Lord of the Flies would be a different story without symbols. The conch has the powers that lead to civilization and order. It represents the authority that the boys will need to get rescued from the island. The sow’s head on the other hand representsRead MoreLord Of The Flies : Representation Of Violence And War1611 Words   |à ‚  7 PagesLord Of The Flies: Representation Of Violence and War Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, states that â€Å" The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.† In William Golding’s Lord Of The Flies, societal topics run rampant throughout the text with Golding’s use of individuals to represent different aspects of society. Many writers view the Lord Of The Flies as an allegory, as societal topics such as politics make appearances throughout the text. InRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies 1299 Words   |  6 PagesKanak Garg Mr. Fraser English 10 Honors, Period 6 19 December 2014 Savagery in Civilization: Symbolism in Lord of the Flies Symbolism as defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is â€Å"the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities in literature, art, etc.† (â€Å"Symbolism†). For this reason, symbolism is utilized in literature in order to make novels more interesting and convey notions that are usually either highly controversial or extremely philosophical. For example in the popularRead MoreLord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay1080 Words   |  5 PagesLord of the Flies Essay â€Å"Maybe there is a beast†¦ maybe its only us.†(Golding [Page 50]) The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a novel that goes much deeper than a group of 12 year old boys stranded on an island. Throughout the book Golding portrays symbols and constant themes which show how he feels about the human race; that there is an inner beast inside everyone and no matter who you are, it will eventually get exposed. Golding also shows symbols throughout the book which represent theRead MoreLord Of The Flies Pig Head Analysis1023 Words   |  5 Pages2017 The Symbolic Meaning of the Lord of the Flies â€Å"We are civilized people, which means that we are all savages at heart but observing a few amenities of civilized behaviour.† Tennessee Williams, a prize winning playwright once stated about civilized humans. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding this quote depicts what the book is trying to point out and display to us. The quote ties in with the pig head on a stick, otherwise known as the Lord of the Flies. The pig head was killed barbaricallyRead MoreLord of the Flies, by William Golding1055 Words   |  5 Pages In William Goldings Lord of the Flies a group of English school boys crash land onto an uninhabited island somewhere in the Mid Atlantic ocean. Ralph, the protagonist and also the elected leader, tries to maintain peace and avoid any calamity on the island. However, Jack is neither willing to contribute nor listen because he is jealous of Ralph and has a sickening obsession with killing boars. Ralph has some good traits that help him maintain pea ce and balance for a period of time. He is charismaticRead MoreLord of the Flies a Microcosm to Our Society1306 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Golding s novel Lord of the Flies significantly symbolizes characters, objects and the setting to represent our world as a whole. Golding uses those symbols to make the island similar to society and to show the difference between living in a civilised society and savagery. The novel takes place on an island during World War II, this is significant since the isolation forms a sort of civilization and community, a sort of microcosm to the real world and to human civilization. Lord of the FliesRead MoreLord Of The Flies Film Analysis1084 Words   |  5 Pagesconsist of many compelling qualities in order for it to be adapted into a film. Lord of the Flies most definitely has these qualities like a strong conflict, interesting plot, and many literature techniques. Peter Brook created a film adaptation of Lord of the Flies in 1963. Peter Brook, director of the Lord of the flies film, did a commendable job of making the movie as similar as possible to the novel by William Golding. There are still a few key differences that make the novel much more compellingRead MoreSymbolic Elements in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding560 Words   |  3 PagesIn the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding the stranded boys come into contact with some particular elements that represent an idea which are called symbols. These symbols include the beast which represents the fear of the unknown and the darkness of mankind. The second symbol is the signal fire which rep resents hope. The third symbol is the conch shell which represents order. Golding indicates that when man is taken out of civilization, they have a natural instinct is to become evil, darknessRead MoreWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay1255 Words   |  6 Pagesever since they were born, or would they disregard all of it and do as they please because there is no definite authority figure to tell them how to live. In William Goldings, The Lord of the Flies, he brilliantly tells a story of life and death and everything in between. His use of symbolism with the conch, beast, and lord of the flies is phenomenal. It is a story that makes you think. Every person, when faced with reality, may act civil now, but in a survival situation, human nature takes over