William Golding Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

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The Meaning Behind Them (An Analysis of Lord, by Golding, and the Power of the Symbols within the Novel) An allegorical story, Lord of the Flies follows a young group of boys after they are stranded on an island in the middle of a war. Some of the boys are from a military academy, while the others were a part of an all-boys choir. In their time on the island, the boys lose their innocence completely and quickly learn what it takes to ‘be a man’. Some of the main characters are Ralph, the leader, and Piggy, Ralph’s helper. Jack is the slightly rebellious boy who needs to have all the power throughout the story. Simon is the thinker of the story and is always surveying those around him and the environment that they have been stranded in. Much…show more content…
Some of the boys are from a military academy, while the others were a part of an all-boys choir. In their time on the island, the boys lose their innocence completely and quickly learn what it takes to ‘be a man’. Some of the main characters are Ralph, the leader, and Piggy, Ralph’s helper. Jack is the slightly rebellious boy who needs to have all the power throughout the story. Simon is the thinker of the story and is always surveying those around him and the environment that they have been stranded in. Much of this story is told using symbols, as the author hopes to provide the reader with a way to find the deeper meaning and relate the novel to themselves. Wallace Fowlie explained the impact of symbolism on the story when he said “The historical period of romanticism is seen more and more clearly to have been the preparation for the richer periods of symbolism and postsymbolism, when the poetic word is understood in terms of its potential magic and the symbol in its power of exorcism.”(Fowlie) The power of the symbolism in this story is unparalleled. Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel about power, about the power of symbols, and the way in which two specific objects can affect a group of…show more content…
There are three powerful symbols in the novel that Golding focuses on. The first is the conch, the ultimate definition of power and leadership for the boys. The breaking of the conch plunges the island into disorder, leading to the death of two innocent boys. The next is Piggy’s glasses. Stuck on an island in the middle of the ocean, the boys need to create a signal for any passing planes or ships. The best way to do this is to start a large fire, but the boys quickly come to an issue with the fact that they do not have anything to start the fire with. Jack points out that they could use Piggy’s glasses to start the fire and after the boys split into two groups, his glasses become their only hope of rescue. Jack’s followers even attack Piggy at one point to gain access to the glasses. The final, and most important symbol, is that of the sows head, or the Lord of the Flies. Simon comes upon the head in his peaceful retreat one day, after Jack killed the sow and put it on a spike as an offer to the beast of the mountain. Simon is disturbed by the fly infested head, and is quickly traumatized as the dead pig begins speaking to him saying, “Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill!” (Pg. 143) The Lord of the Flies confirms Simon’s worst nightmare, that there is no beast, but that he himself, and the other boys, are all beasts in themselves. This revelation ultimately leads to the loss of all the
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