Savagery In Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

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Could our entire social order fail and we become no more than grotesque savages? In Lord of the Flies, William Golding introduces symbolism through the glasses, couch, fire, and the beast to show the rapid erosion in society. Piggy is not socially accepted by most of the boys, but his glasses are what make him desirable to the majority. Discovering the couch shell and introducing its meaning is powerful in the beginning, but the boy’s savagery destroys the conch’s significance. The boys understand that fire is the sole key for them to be rescued. Fear of the so called ‘beast’ is not as terrifying as the beast that is rousing inside of the boys. Just as society would portray someone with glasses as more intellectual, Piggy is depicted the same way, but Piggy also has a weakness that comes with wearing his glasses. Along with the glasses, he is overweight, and has “asmar’ (asthma); which places him at a disadvantage with the other boys. Piggy’s glasses are a major focus in the novel, since they are the sole means to start fires. Towards the end of the novel, Piggy’s lenses become broken, causing him to be very concerned for his own survival. When Jack’s tribe attacks and steals Piggy’s glasses, he not only leaves Piggy helpless,…show more content…
When Ralph and Piggy find the shell on the beach after the plane crash, it is used to call assemblies and gather the boys together. During assemblies, the couch was used to keep order and whoever was holding the conch, he was the only one that was permitted to speak. The conch develops a powerful sense of civilization early in the novel, but as the boys slowly begin to slither towards savagery, the conch loses its meaning and it has less and less governing power over the young boys. When Jack’s tribes rolls the big boulder and it hits not only Piggy, it destroys the conch, symbolizing that all civilization is gone from the

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