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Lord Of The Flies Symbolism

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Lord Of The Flies Symbolism
William Golding began his writing career after serving in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom during World War II, and gained global recognition with his 1953 novel Lord of the Flies. The book was a response to Robert Ballantyne's brighter, Victorian era story Coral Island, in which British boys bring civilization to an island of savages. Golding's own take on the deserted island tale revolves around his belief that there is a malevolent side of human nature that is only kept at bay by our perception of civilization. The chances of rescue for the boys in Lord of the Flies faded with their will to control their darkest urges, and they regressed into a tribe chasing violent pleasure. Golding conveys the transition of the kids with a combination …show more content…
The initial order of the boys is all a result of Piggy realizing the value of the conch shell, which marks Ralph out as the leader and is the symbol of democracy throughout the book. Piggy sets the boys on a clear course back to civilization, and the glasses he wears start the fire that should deliver the boys safely home. However, the islanders' auspicious beginning comes crashing down when Jack and his choir discover the exhilaration of the hunt. Jack's dedication to killing a pig leads the hunters to abandon Ralph's fire, which goes out to soon to alert a passing boat. This initial victory begins the rift between Ralph and Jack over the direction of the islanders. Golding's next prominent symbol is the beast; an evil presence that stirs infectious fear among all the islanders, which becomes more intense as the hunters' behavior deteriorates. After failing to kill the beast, Jack takes his followers away from Ralph's civilization and proclaims himself chief of his own tribe, with absolute authority and no law or order. “'When we kill we'll leave some of the kill for [the beast]”, he assures his new tribe, so “then it won't bother [them], maybe'” (133). Every 'bigun' except for Ralph, Piggy, the twins, and shy, kind, Simon joins Jack for the savages' first hunt, during which their lust for blood causes them to not only kill a
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