Symbolism in Lord of the Flies

By: Lesli Odom

ENGL 4950-602

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).

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).

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)

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)

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).

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)

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)

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).

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.

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)

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)

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).

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).

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).

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.

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.

A Walk Through William Golding’s Lord of the Flies

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).

Setting

A group of English boys are deserted on an island when their plane is attacked during the World War II.

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)

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.

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.

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.

Characters Golding’s four main

characters are Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon.

Each of these characters plays an important role in the novel. (Flickr)

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).

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.

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).

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).

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. .

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>.