Lord of the Flies: Symbolism

By: Emma Saiter and Ellie Manning

Activity

If everyone was locked in this room and there was a fire outside, what would you do? One person has a "conch shell" and they are the only one who can talk, once they are done they give it to someone else to speak. Another person is "the beast" and they can interrupt whenever they want (like having power over everyone besides the "order" they have established). The people immediately around "the beast" can't talk at all because their sacrifice to the beast is not talking (the boys gave sacrifices to the beast)

Overview

Symbolism - the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

Thesis:

In the Lord of the Flies William Goulding uses symbolism to portray various aspects of human nature in its purest form.

The Beast

The “beast”, an imaginary creature that scares the boys throughout the novel, represents the primal instinct or savageness that exists within all people. Simon is the only one out of all the boys terrified of the beast that realizes that they only fear the beast because it exists within them all. As the boys grow more savage, like the beast inside of them, their belief in the beast grows stronger and before long, the boys are offering sacrifices to the beast and treating it as a overpowering being, like a god. Only the readers and Simon know that the beast isn’t a physical creature and that it exists inside the boy’s minds, so the boys’ behavior of worshipping the beast is what actually brings it into existence. The more savage the boys became, the more real the beast becomes. If their behavior had been less primal, its possible that they wouldn’t have attacked Simon as they did, or think that there was a beast out to get them in the first place. In addition, the beast can represent the pull between civilization and savagery throughout the novel, gradually guiding the boys away from civilized behavior and into their primal, savage instincts.

The Lord of the Flies

The Lord of the Flies is the bloody, severed pig head that Jack impales on a stake in the forest as an offering to the beast. This complicated symbol becomes the most important image in the novel when Simon confronts the pig head and it seems to speak to him, telling him that evil lies within every human heart and promising to have some “fun” with him. (This “fun” foreshadows Simon’s death in the following chapter.) In this way, the Lord of the Flies becomes both a physical manifestation of the beast, a symbol of the power of evil, and a kind of Satan figure who evokes the beast within each human being. In short, the Lord of the Flies is an evil catalyst that, although bringing to light the figurative beast inside everyone to Simon, made the beast a reality through the other boys.

Conch Shell

Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach at the start of the novel and use it to summon the boys together after the crash separates them. Used in this capacity, the conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel. The shell effectively governs the boys’ meetings, for the boy who holds the shell holds the right to speak. In this regard, the shell is more than a symbol—it is an actual vessel of political legitimacy and democratic power. As the island civilization erodes and the boys descend into savagery, the conch shell loses its power and influence among them. Ralph clutches the shell desperately when he talks about his role in murdering Simon. Later, the other boys ignore Ralph and throw stones at him when he attempts to blow the conch in Jack’s camp. The boulder that Roger rolls onto Piggy also crushes the conch shell, signifying the demise of the civilized instinct among almost all the boys on the island.

Quote #1- “Maybe […] there is a beast […] What I mean is… maybe it's only us.”

Quote #2

"I just take the conch to say this. I can't see no more and I got to get my glasses back. Awful things has been done on this island. I voted for you for chief. He's the only one who ever got anything done. So now you speak, Ralph, and tell us what. Or else—" Piggy broke off, sniveling. Ralph took back the conch as he sat down. "Just an ordinary fire. You'd think we could do that, wouldn't you? Just a smoke signal so we can be rescued. Are we savages or what?"

Quote #3

"Shut up," said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. "Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things."
"A chief! A chief!"
"I ought to be chief," said Jack with simple arrogance, "because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp."

Conclusion

The Beast, Lord of the Flies, and Conch Shell all have significant meaning more complicated than they seem at first glance. Representing every human’s natural savagery, pure evil and manipulation, and law and order, these symbols paint the reader a clear picture into what humans are made of through the eye of Golding. With these motifs in the novel Lord of the Flies, we can see into some of the building blocks of humanity.

Discussion Questions

How does the conch shell, representing law and order, contrast with the beast, representing anarchy and savagery? How does this connect to the boys coming from civilized England to an untamed island?
The Lord of the Flies broke human nature down into its core components. Knowing that each symbol represents law & order, savagery, and pure evil, what do you think represents the good in people? Was there ever a symbol representing humanity’s good nature?
If you were one of the boys stranded on the island what boy would you most likely be like?
How is the beast controlled by jack to manipulate others? Where can we see similar things in the real world?

Bibliography

"Lord of the Flies Analysis, Themes and Symbolism." Lord of the Flies Analysis, Themes and Symbolism. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://wdb.sad17.k12.me.us/teachers/bburns/com/documents/literature/lof/analysis.html>.

Li, Xiaofang, and Weihua Wu. "On Symbolic Significance of Characters in Lord of the Flies." English Language Teaching 2.1 (2009): 119-22.Canadian Center of Science and Education. Web. 31 Jan. 2015. <http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/viewFile/346/310>

Lorcher, Trent. "Symbolism in Lord of the Flies: Overview of Some of the Main Symbols & Themes." Bright Hub Education. N.p., 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 01 Feb. 2015. <http://www.brighthubeducation.com/homework-help-literature/34881-lord-of-the-flies-symbolism/>