Political Allegory In Lord Of The Flies, By William Golding

Following the horrendous events of World War II, William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies. Hitler’s rise to power and acts shaped how the readers can analyze the novel, including as a political allegory. In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses political allegory to illustrate that without rules and consequences, democracy will fall and military power will arise from it. He uses symbols such as the conch, Jack’s hunters, and the contrast of Jack and Ralph to prove this.
Golding uses the conch to symbolize the rise and fall of democracy. When the boys first arrive on the island, the conch is assigned authority unanimously; whoever has the conch has the right to speak. ‘“We’ve got to have rules and obey them”’(Golding 34). This is the first sign of democracy rising to power. While Jack and his hunters are out hunting, while supposed to be keeping a watch on the fire, they kill a pig and return to the group only to find Ralph distressed. “In the ensuing melee between Ralph and Jack, one of the lenses in Piggy's glasses gets
“The boys decide they need a chief and elect Ralph. Ralph decides that the choir will remain intact under the leadership of Jack, who says they will be hunters” (“The Lord of the Flies”). Slowly but surely, all the boys except Ralph and Piggy join Jack and the hunters throughout the book. All the characters ultimately fall victim to the military order, whether or not if be by force or voluntarily. From the event of the breakdown of reason and breaking of the conch came the rise of the hunters thus to the leading of military order. After multiple rules are broken throughout the book, Jack gains power of the conch and Piggy’s glasses. This power is turned into a tool for military use as opposed to democracy. It is in the hands of someone who lacks reason and knowledge which leads to ultimate breaking of not only democracy, but destruction and