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>.