Fire In Lord Of The Flies

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Fire in Lord of the Flies In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding juxtaposes the first and last fires to reveal the children's descent into savagery while inhabiting the island. In the novel, fire is used to symbolize both the boys' hope of being rescued and the death that the fires caused. The fires can reveal the loss of innocence the boys suffer, with each fire becoming more deliberate with an intention of violence. In the beginning of the novel, a fire is set to act as a signal to passing ships. Thus, the fire becomes the boy's connection to civilization. The boys maintain the fire in order to be rescued, and on the first night the fire burns bright to symbolize their connection to civilization. However, civilization is soon met with violence. After the fire is set, a boy goes missing. The boys are…show more content…
The fires that are being set are no longer being used as a signal for rescue, but for torture and killing. Throughout the novel, Jack and Roger descend into savagery, revealed through the change in their use of fire, once for rescue, now for torture. While the other boys are trying to maintain order, Jack and Roger will do whatever they can to have power, including setting fires. The fire blocked "a deep blue patch of sky," leaving a thick, "blanket of smoke" (197.) The smoke blocks the sky, much like the violence on the island blocks the intelligence of Piggy. The boys became more dependent on violence, using it to gain power. Their dependence on violence leaves little room for logical thinking, leading to their descent into savagery. By setting the final fire, Jack put the entire island in jeopardy. If Jack had followed through with his plan to kill Ralph, the entire island would have burned with him. This shows how far Jack is willing to go to assume power, putting aside intelligence, and instead resorting only to violence and his savage
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