Lord of the Flies Symbols
Literal
Symbol Key Quotations
Piggy’s Glasses Piggy’s glasses suggest intelligence and voice of reason on the group. They are also a symbol of technology and innovation. While wearing the glasses not only does he have a different visual view on his surroundings but a different logical view on certain issues than the other boys. The specs connect Piggy’s intellectual brain with the world around him. The glasses (and consequently Piggy in owning them) are the key to lighting the fire on the island. When they are stolen, he is not protected and he is of no use to the other boys in the group. “My specs…One sides broken”p89/90
“I have been wearing specs since I was three.”p14
“Use them as burning glasses.”p52 “You came here, pinched my specs”p59
“First you have got to give back piggy’s specs, if you don’t give them back Piggy will not be able to see… and about the fire.” P219/220
“From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken specs.” p207
The Beast The beast represents the fear of the boys in the group and the uncertainty as this is intensified when it plays a part in the story. There is also the idea of the beast being ‘the gateway to chaos’ with everything on the island uncontrollable when the subject it raised. The imaginary beast I think also symbolises the savage nature that lives just a word away inside the boys and while the boys are afraid of it, this could only be because it is inside every one of them. Simon is the one who actually realizes that the beast is in each one of them when he meets “The Lord Of The Flies” As boys like Jack become crueler throughout the book, the belief in the beast increases until at the end Jack’s tribe are leaving it food as a sign of respect. “snakes, snakes look at the snakes”p60
“The unfriendly side of the mountain”p60
“Life, is scientific…I know there isn’t no beast…but I know there isn’t no fear either”p105
“And I was frightened…and then I saw something moving among the trees, something big and horrid.” p.106
Symbol Key Quotations
Piggy’s Glasses Piggy’s glasses suggest intelligence and voice of reason on the group. They are also a symbol of technology and innovation. While wearing the glasses not only does he have a different visual view on his surroundings but a different logical view on certain issues than the other boys. The specs connect Piggy’s intellectual brain with the world around him. The glasses (and consequently Piggy in owning them) are the key to lighting the fire on the island. When they are stolen, he is not protected and he is of no use to the other boys in the group. “My specs…One sides broken”p89/90
“I have been wearing specs since I was three.”p14
“Use them as burning glasses.”p52 “You came here, pinched my specs”p59
“First you have got to give back piggy’s specs, if you don’t give them back Piggy will not be able to see… and about the fire.” P219/220
“From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken specs.” p207
The Beast The beast represents the fear of the boys in the group and the uncertainty as this is intensified when it plays a part in the story. There is also the idea of the beast being ‘the gateway to chaos’ with everything on the island uncontrollable when the subject it raised. The imaginary beast I think also symbolises the savage nature that lives just a word away inside the boys and while the boys are afraid of it, this could only be because it is inside every one of them. Simon is the one who actually realizes that the beast is in each one of them when he meets “The Lord Of The Flies” As boys like Jack become crueler throughout the book, the belief in the beast increases until at the end Jack’s tribe are leaving it food as a sign of respect. “snakes, snakes look at the snakes”p60
“The unfriendly side of the mountain”p60
“Life, is scientific…I know there isn’t no beast…but I know there isn’t no fear either”p105
“And I was frightened…and then I saw something moving among the trees, something big and horrid.” p.106