symbolism in lord of the flies - · pdf file · 2011-10-28golding‟s use of...
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Symbolism in Lord of the Flies
By: Lesli Odom
ENGL 4950-602
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Golding‟s Use of Symbolism
Symbolism is the “frequent use of words,
places, characters, or objects that mean
something beyond what they are on a
literal level” (Wheeler).
William Golding uses so much symbolism
in Lord of the Flies that many critics agree
that it is an allegory- a writing that has “a
double meaning” (Wheeler).
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Title- Lord of the Flies
Before even opening the novel, the readers
of Golding‟s work are face to face with a
symbol—the title.
Lord of the Flies is “a name applied to the
Biblical demon Beelzebub” thus
symbolizing evil (Rosenfield, p.174).
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Lord of the Flies
In the novel, the Lord
of the Flies is the
name is given to the
pigs head that the
hunters put on a stick
sharpened at both
ends. “This head is
for the beast. It‟s a
gift” (Golding, 140). (Flickr)
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Conch Shell
The conch shell, which
is “used to call the
children to assemblies,”
serves as a symbol of
order and authority (Cox,
170).
For the children in
the story, the conch
shell is an important
object. Rosenfield
points out that “the
conch must be held
by a child before that
child can speak at
councils” (173). (Flickr)
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Conch Shell (cont.)
C.B. Cox points out that the conch is more than
“just a symbol of order” (170). From the
beginning of the novel, Golding describes the
conch with much precision and detail. When the
conch is broken, the reader feels “that sadness
which comes when any object of exquisite beauty
is broken. The symbolic meaning, that this is the
end of the beauty of justice and order” on the
island (Cox 170-71).
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Signal Fire
At their second council meeting, Ralph tells the rest of the boys, “We can help them to find us…We must make a fire” (Golding, 37). The boys agree because they want to be rescued.
(Flickr)
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Signal Fire (cont.)
Paulette Michel-Michot
states: “The fire which
must be kept burning is
the symbol of their hope
for rescue, of their
attachment to
civilization, for it will
reveal their presence on
the island to the outside
world” (Michel-Michot,
pg. 176). (Flickr)
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Parachutist
Cox describes the dead parachutist as a “symbol of adult evil” (171). When the boys kill Simon as he attempts to tell them the truth about the beast, they show the “adult evil” as “part of themselves” (Cox, 171).
Frank Kermode calls the dead parachutist “an ugly emblem of war and decay that broods over the paradise and provide the only objective equivalent for the beasts the boys imagine. (Kermode, 226).
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Characters
Golding also uses symbolism in the various
characters of the story. According to Michel-
Michot, he “makes them work out archetypal
pattern of human society or of different
conflicting tendencies within the individual”
(176).
We can find symbolic meaning in the four main
characters of Lord of the Flies: Ralph, Jack,
Piggy, and Simon.
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Ralph Ralph and Jack “are two
polarizing figures” in the novel (Michel-Michot).
Ralph is a symbol of democracy because “he sought ways to maintain parliamentary procedures, to respect freedom of speech, to rule through persuasion, with the consent of the governed” (Spitz, 173).
(Flickr)
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Jack
Spitz calls Jack
“authorian man” and
compares him to the
dictators “Hitler and
Mussolini” (173).
Spitz also discusses
Jack‟s appearance calling
him a “Satanic figure
with his red hair and
black cape” (173). (Flickr)
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Piggy David Spitz compares Piggy to “Socrates, the voice
of reason” (173). One example of his sense of reason is shown when the boys‟ first fire gets out of control. Piggy tells the others, “The first thing we ought to have made was shelters on the beach… How can you expect to be rescued if you don‟t put first things first and act proper” (Golding, 44).
When Piggy is killed, “with his death all sense, all reason is gone; the ultimate madness sets in” (Spitz, 173).
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Simon
In Lord of the Flies, Simon signifies “the
Christ-figure, the voice of revelation”
(Spitz, 172).
In an interview with James Keating,
William Golding states: “Simon is a saint”
(Keating, 219).
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Examples of Simon as Christ-like
There are several events involving Simon that portray him as
a Christ-like or Biblical figure:
The first event occurs when Simon feeds the littluns
described in the following passage:
“Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight,
Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach,
pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them
back down to endless outstretched hands” (Golding, 55).
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Simon (cont.)
This passage
“unmistakably evokes
the Biblical accounts of
Christ amid the bread-
hungry masses”
(Spangler, 233). Like
Jesus, Simon provides
his followers, in his case
the littluns, with plenty
of food to satisfy their
hunger.
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Simon (cont.)
When he discovers that the beast is the dead
parachutist, “like Moses, then, he comes
down from the mountain bearing the truth”
(Spitz, 172). Also, like Moses, he is not
listened to.
Secondly, his death symbolizes the
Crucifixion of Jesus. Like Jesus, Simon was
trying to tell the others the truth. For this, he
was slain.
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A Walk Through William
Golding‟s Lord of the Flies
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Golding‟s Inspiration
Bruce Lambert states: “Sir William
recalled that as a teacher he once allowed a
class of boys complete freedom in a
debate, but he had to intervene as mayhem
broke out. That incident and his own war
experience inspired Lord of the Flies”
(Lambert, 317).
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Setting
A group of English
boys are deserted on
an island when their
plane is attacked
during the World
War II.
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Setting (cont.)
The island “shore was fledged with palm trees.” Behind the palm trees was the “darkness of the forest” and the space where their plane crashed. About a mile from the shore, the “white surf flinked on a coral reef, and beyond that the open sea was dark blue.” Between the ocean and the palm trees was the beach “apparently endless.” (Golding, 8)
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Symbols
Golding‟s novel is full of symbolism, or
objects “that mean something beyond what
they are on a literal level” (Wheeler).
Some of the symbols Golding uses in his
novel include: The title, the conch shell,
the signal fire, the parachutist, and the
main characters in the novel.
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Symbols (cont.) The title “Lord of the
Flies” translates to mean Beelzebub—the name given to the devil.
The parachutist arrives on the island after the boys ask for a sign from the adult world. Therefore, the parachutist symbolizes adult evil and is a reminder of war.
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Symbols (cont.)
The purpose of the signal
fire is to help the
children get rescued.
Therefore, the fire
symbolizes their hope to
be rescued.
The conch shell
symbolizes order and
authority. When the
conch is blown in the
novel, all the boys listen.
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Characters
Golding‟s four main
characters are Ralph,
Piggy, Jack, and
Simon.
Each of these
characters plays an
important role in the
novel. (Flickr)
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Ralph
Ralph is introduced to us first as “the fair-
haired boy” (Golding, 5).
As the story progresses, Ralph emerges as
a leader. “It is he who find that conch and
arranges that when there is a meeting he
who hold the conch shall speak” (Forester,
228).
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Piggy Piggy is introduced to the reader as being short, fat,
and wearing “thick spectacles” (Golding, 5).
Piggy‟s glasses play an important role in the novel- they are used to start the fire.
As the novel progresses, we learn that Piggy is the “brains of the party” (Forester, 228). When Piggy and Ralph found the conch, it was Piggy that said, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting…” (Golding, 15). This way of thinking exemplifies Piggy‟s intelligence.
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Jack
Jack is introduced as being “tall, thin, and bony”
(Golding 17). He has red hair, and is wearing a
black hat and cloak. “His face was crumpled and
freckled, and ugly without silliness” (Golding,
17).
When all the boys gather to have a meeting and
are discussing the idea of a chief, Jack states with
arrogance, “I ought to be chief…because I‟m
chapter chorister and head boy” (Golding, 20).
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Simon
Simon is introduced to the reader as “the choir
boy who had fainted” (Golding, 20). Then,
Golding describes him as “a skinny, vivid little
boy, with…straight hair that hung down, black
and coarse” (Golding, 22).
In the novel, Simon plays the role of the Christ-
like figure. In an interview, Golding himself
calls Simon “a saint” (Kermode, 219).
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Works Cited Cox, C.B. “A review of „Lord of the Flies.‟ ” Critical Quarterly 2.2
(Summer 1960): 112-17. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz. Vol. 58. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 170-72.
Flickr. Yahoo! Inc. 16 July 2008. http://www.flickr.com/
Forester, E. M. “Introduction.” Lord of the Flies: Casebook Edition. Ed. James R. Baker & Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1988.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies: Casebook Edition. New York : Penguin Group, 1988.
Kermode, Frank. “The Meaning of It All.” Lord of the Flies: Casebook Edition. Ed. James R. Baker & Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1988.
Lambert, Bruce. “Obituary.” New York Times (June 20, 1993): p.38. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. James P. Draper. Vol. 81. Detroit: Gale, 1994. 316-17. .
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Works Cited (cont.) Michel-Michot, Paulette. “The Myth of Innocence.” Revue des langues vivantes
28.4 (1962): 510-20. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz. Vol. 58. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 175-77
Rosenfield, Claire. “Men of Smaller Growth: A Psychological Analysis of William Golding‟s „Lord of the Flies.‟ ” Literature and Psychology 11.4 (Fall 1961): 93-101. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz. Vol. 58. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 172-75.
Spangler, Donald R. “Simon.” Lord of the Flies: Casebook Edition. Ed. James R. Baker & Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1988.
Spitz, David. “Power And Authority: An Interpretation of Golding‟s „Lord of the Flies.‟ ” The Antioch Review 30.1 (Spring 1970): 21-33. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Sharon R. Gunton. Vol. 17. Detroit: Gale, 1981. 172-73.
Wheeler, Dr. Kip. "Literary Vocabulary." Dr. Wheeler's Hompage . 06 June 2008. Carson-Newman College. 12 July 2008 <http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms.html>.