Allegory In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is one of the many well known dystopian novels of the 20th century. Lord of the Flies is a novel about a group of young boys who land on an Island after their plane crashes. They slowly become more savage and free-willed, leaning more towards fierce instinct than considerate benevolence. Who the boys are and what they do is symbolic and refers to the symbolic counterpart of the literal story, making it an allegorical novel. An allegory is “the expression and means of symbolic fictional figures and actions or truths or generalizations about human existence” (Merriam-Webster). The characters, their belongings, and their actions all relate to the symbolism and allegorical side of the story. The most important symbol in Lord of the Flies is the conch shell, which represents leadership. Other symbols in the book are Piggy’s Glasses, and even the fire they start in the beginning chapters. The symbols and truths relate to human existence, human savagery, and how children react in situations without an overwhelming power. The human mind tends to want leadership and crave balance, even if they think of themselves as a “free-bird”. This is expressed heavily in the beginning of Lord of the Flies, when the boys are called by the conch. “Ralph, who was not
Piggy’s Glasses themselves are a symbol of humanity, and civilisation; the old world. The act of Jack breaking the glasses is even symbolic as well, representing the break of humanity on the island. “The chief led them, trotting steadily, exulting in his achievement. He was a chief now in truth; and he made stabbing motions with his spear. From his left hand dangled Piggy's broken glasses.” (Golding, 242). The book represents the break of humanity, and the fall into savagery. Piggy’s glasses easily represent that, and are one of the most important symbols attaining to the allegorical side of the