William Golding Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

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Symbolism Analysis of Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies is a symbolic novel that illustrates William Golding’s perspective on ubiquitous defects in human nature and their relation to deficiently functioning society. William Golding, the author of the award-winning novel, has written two other fairly well known stories in his time, but neither is as famous as his 1954 classic. Golding utilizes the demeanors of his characters as well as a few notable symbols to convey his universal theme: Civilization versus Savagery. As the story progresses, the characters change and develop (subtly and blatantly) to support the theme. Golding drops occasional clues to show the symbols’ change as well. Ralph The story commences by having a plane drop English schoolboys on to a Pacific Island during the time of a violent war in the mid-1900s. The pilot’s fate is unclear in the exposition, but it is implied that he is dead and will not be returning to save the boys. This means that they are on their own, “‘didn’t you hear…about the atom bomb? They’re all dead…an’ this is an island. Nobody don’t know we’re here’” (14). Since the boys are all alone…show more content…
The final destruction of the conch shell occurs when Roger rolls a large rock on Piggy, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist…. Then the sea breathed in a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink [initial colors of the conch] over the rock; and when it went, sucking back again, the body of Piggy was gone.” (181). The conch’s disappearance is the most important turning point of the story. When the conch is gone, order is officially non-existent. The boys plunge into total anarchy, as civilization is
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