Beast Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies

The novel “Lord of the Flies” written by William Golding, contains a lot of symbolism that is a very important factor that influences the story, characters, and the outcome. The symbols I have chosen reoccur multiple times within this novel. I have chosen to analyse the symbolism of the beast, Piggy’s glasses, and fire. One of the most important symbols in the novel is the beast. The boys on the island were terrified of the beast, seeing it as an unknown creature that they had made up in their head to be a beast. The beast symbolises the boys fear but more importantly, the violent and darkness within everyone. The mystery of the beast is there to demonstrate how humans have a natural instinct to be savages and violent. Simon understood
Ralph was persistent in keeping a fire going as a signal to get them saved. They started the first fire, which caught the island on fire. In chapter 2 they soon noticed that one of the little boys with a mulberry birthmark was missing. They believed he got too close to the fire when it got out of control and burned to death. None of the boys even knew his name, didn’t care enough and moved on like nothing happened. Piggy says to Jack “You got your small fire all right.'" (41) Referring to Jacks lack of thought before he started the fire, not thinking of the dangers that could have happened. Proving that they need to be more intelligent and make decisions carefully. The fire symbolizes the civilization within the boys on the island. When the fire was burning, all was well, but when it went out it was noticeable that the boys had lost their desire to be rescued from the island and accepted their new lives on the island. At the beginning of the novel in the second chapter, the fire caused death, but another moment in the novel where the symbol of fire was repeated was ironically at he end of the novel when the boys were saved. The fire caught the attention of a ship that rescued the boys from the island. This time, it wasn’t a signal fire lit with the intentions of a hopeful rescue, but with savage
Ralph and Piggy represent civilization and order, Jack and Roger represent evil and Simon represents goodness. What William Golding did was that he wrote so many hidden symbols with deep meaning and value to the story, that one might not notice them unless they looked very closely. What each of the three symbols I have chosen to analyse has in common is that they all have significant relevance to how the story plays out. The symbolic meaning behind the beast, Piggy’s glasses, and fire affect the story is every way possible. Maybe the boys wouldn’t have become so violent if they didn’t paint the picture of a beast into their minds? Piggy certainly had the intelligence, but struggled to take intuitive as a leader because he lacked the leadership qualities that would make him suitable. Maybe if the boys had listened to Piggy’s rationality more, he wouldn’t have died. The burning of fires were a huge factor why the boys managed to stay alive on the island and also was the reason why they got rescued by the police officer. Without its symbolisms, this novel would not be as meaningful as it