Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies Essay

, Research Paper

Symbolism in Lord of the Flies

Piggy, Jack, Simon, and Ralph can all be seen as symbolic characters in William Golding’s

novel Lord of the Flies. Golding uses symbolism to display his belief of the nature of

mankind. He believes that the change from good to evil, from civilization to primitivism

is unavoidable if there is not any direct authority over people. Piggy, an overweight

asthmatic boy about 8 years in age, who cannot see without his glasses represents physical

weakness and mental strength. His poor vision and obesity immediately establish to the

reader his traits of physical infirmity and incompetence. The glasses, however, help

illustrate his intellectual strength, his ability to think situations over logically and

use reason, rather than emotions to decide upon important dilemmas. Piggy does not let his

emotions guide him. Through the course of the novel, we observe how the allegorical society

on this uninhabited tropical island in the pacific ocean makes the transition from

carefully organized democratic reasoning to feeling-driven anarchy. The climax of this

transition is marked by the death of Piggy and the destruction of the conch shell, which

has very similar symbolism to Piggy. The gradual shift is also measured by various

incidents that hinder Piggy’s mental reasoning, such as the breaking of his spectacles, and

the loss of the boys’ faith in him. Piggy’s character is used by William Golding to show

how even the best solution to a problem can easily be overlooked because of the lack of

respect, pre-established prejudices, and the lack of mature thinking processes. Jack’s role

in Lord of the Flies is to show the transition from the opposite perspective. Jack

Merridew first appears in the novel leading his choir in a strictly organized fashion. He

is the epitome of discipline. Then, for some reason, he becomes gradually obsessed with

the killing of pigs, stealing from the other boys, and fighting the ‘beast’. The most

substantial point in this transformation is the first time he kills a pig. Shortly after

the boys have accidentally landed on the island, Jack is reluctant to kill the pig. He is

frightened to draw blood from a living thing. A quotation from Jack himself describes this

perfectly: “I was going to [stick the pig]. I was choosing a place. Next time—!” Jack