Play the
Lord of the Flies game. What purpose do symbols serve in a novel or short story? Using your knowledge of the text and the game, identify and discuss symbolism used in
Lord of the Flies. Be sure to use textual evidence to support your answer.
77 comments:
The purpose the symbols serve in Lord of the Flies is to, "represent another thing or idea" (LOTF game). Golding had several symbols in the story. There was the conch, fire, Lord of the Flies itself, island, and the parachutist. Each one of these things contributed to the theme or "it's human nature to be evil". The conch represented "law and order" simply because meetings were called with the conch and whoever had the conch was the person allowed to speak. It brought or maintained organization to the meetings being held. An example of this symbol is, " 'I got the conch!' said Piggy indignatly. 'Ralp-they ought to shut up...' " (Golding 83).Also, "They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority..." (Golding 59). The glasses, as well as Piggy represented intellect and logic. They used Piggy's glasses to start a fire. When the fire was out Ralph lost any hope he had for being rescued. " 'There was a ship. Out there. You said you'd keep the fire going and you let it out! [...] They might have seen us. We might have gone home-'..." (Golding 70). Ralph was very upset at this point and started giving up hope. The island itself represented isolation. The Lord of the Flies represented pure evil, or the evil in inner men. " 'I'm part of you [!] [...] I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are the way they are?' " (Golding 143. The Lord of the Flies revealed to Simon that he lives within all of the boys, and Simon cannot escape him. All of these things combined conveys the theme of Lord of the Flies.
To me, i believe tht the purpose of symbols in the novel is to proove a point, to clarify a very important subject, foreshadow or "give clues" as to what is going to happen, stand for an idea, or stand for a an object or subject. Symbolism is used through out the story to describe a variety of things. In Lord of the Flies, Piggy, the fat boy, talks about bieng "blinded" because his glasses had broken. He stated, "Look, they blinded me, see?" This is describing how Piggy is affected from this event, but the glasses had a higher role play in the book. The glasses stood for power. While at the same time, the conch stood for "law and order"(golding), the fire stood for "hope and rescue", nd the list goes on. Symbolism in some instances, help to give us clues on what the significance is on some objects and/or subjects. Symbolism basically was the main part of Lord of the Flies.
The many symbols of the book are put in by Goldin helps readers understand the themes he wants to convey. The symbols of the color black is used to show the evil that had encompassed the island. "There was blackness within, a blackness that spread." (Golding 144). Also, the smoke created by the fire that burned the island at the end of the book was also black. This was the final stage of evil. The fire destroys the land, but marked the end to the evil within the boys when because the officer finds them. Also the conch represented the only support of structure. When it is destroyed along with Piggy, which is the symbol for reason, all order and senses was eliminated. At this point in the book, all choas reins throughout the island. These symbols make connections to what people already associate with, so it makes readers feel more connected and really see the point of the story.
QUESTION:
Along with symbolism what other strategies did Golding use to help convey the theme. Support answer with evidence.
The purpose for symbols in a story is to show things have a deeper meaning to them.
The fire was a symbol of hope that was why it was important to keep it alive. "There was a ship. Out there. You said you'd keep the fire going and you let it out!" (Golding 70). Ralph is livid at Jack for letting 'hope' die and that supose to help them be rescued.
Piggy is a symbol of the adult world. " I dunno, Ralph. We just got to go on, that's all. That's what grownups would do." (Golding 139). Piggy is referring to the question that Ralph asked about him being like the other boys and not caring if the fire went out, giving up hope. Piggy knew that keeping hope alive was important but he had to be an adult and see that there was more serious things than just having hope to survive and be rescued.
The conch is a symbol of life and death. In the beginning of the book the conch is pink "..touched here and there with fading pink" (Golding16) and pink is the color of life but as the story goes on the conch turns white and that's the color of death. "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist." (Golding 181).
These examples show the deeper meaning of symbols and how they can give the reader a different aspect on a story.
My question:
Can the hunters be a symbol? Explain.
the symbols represent something that represents a concrete detail. for example there is lord of the flies, island, conch, the glass, fire, the color black, the color pink and the color white. the lord of the flies stand for the devil or the evil within themselves as simon said. the represents hell on earth, outside it looks a perfect but deeper in darkness looms. the conch represents law and order, but when they abandones the law it turned white almost to the point of being transperant. the glass reprents power, the person who had the glass had the most power, they started fire with the glass. fire stands for hope of being rescued or destruction for example when it burned the entire island. the color black represents the evil within ourselves. the color white represents death. the color pink on the otherhand represents life.
answer for nyeesha d
yes they show the people on top of the food chain, or in our world the politicians.
My question
why is symbolism so important in lotf? explain with textual evidence
The purpose of symbols in a novel or short story are to convey a deeper meaning that the author does not directly state. In Lord of the Flies, many symbols are used to convey the theme that evil is constantly existing in humans, and can cause the destruction of society. For example, the actual Lord of the Flies represents the devil in the book. "'You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?' The laughter shivered again" (Golding 164). When Simon is having a conversation with the pig's head, that is when he discovers what the true beast is, and that it lies within the children themselves. Another major symbol in the novel is the fire that Ralph tries so hard to keep going. "'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? Only now there's no signal going up. Ships may be passing" (Golding 196). All Ralph wanted was the fire, because he knew that the smoke was their greatest chance of anyone knowing they were on the island. Without the smoke signal, their chances of being found were very slim. However, Jack and his boys became so competitive and caught up with being the most powerful tribe, that instead of just asking for help with making a fire, they had to go the violent route and take Ralph's only way of making a fire: Piggy's glasses. This showed that Jack was not only focused on his own well being, but he also wanted to make sure Ralph and Piggy had a slim chance of survival because they wouldn't follow his orders.
Answer to Lexi's question: Golding also used imagery to convey the theme of society being destroyed by human's evil nature. In the beginning of the novel, the island was described as, "fledged with palm trees. These stood or leaned or reclined against the light and their green feathers were a hundred feet up in the air" (Golding 4). The island is depicted as if it were like a paradise. However, by the end of the novel, the island was "scorched up like dead wood" (Golding 234). This shows the transition of the breakdown of society among the boys on the island by giving the reader mental before and after images.
Question: What do you think the book would be like if Golding didn't make any religious connections in his symbols? Support your opinion.
The purpose of symbols in a novel or passage are to show and convey and author's message or theme. Golding had several symbols in his novel which "represent another thing or idea" (LOTF game). Examples of these symbols are the conch,the fire, Lord of the Flies itself, and Piggy's glasses. With these symbols, Golding expresses his theme of "human's natural instinct to be evil. The conch represented "law and order" because the person that had it had the floor and would sometimes wave "the conch for silence" (Golding 43). Not only do symbols help express the authors theme, the characters in the novel also do the same. For example, the character realationship between Ralph and Jack. They both were similar looking people, but Jack becomes a savage as he is willing to swing " at Ralph with his spear"(Golding 177). On the other hand, Raplh tries to mantain his humanity by thinking logicaly and setting "rules and [obeying] them" (Golding 42). With this, the author shows his theme of humans naturaling being evil. Without symbols, an author piece would be vague and have no defining meaning to it.
To answer Lexi E.,Golding uses other strategies such as the use of motifs. One motifs he used was the "loss of innocence". This help convey the theme of human's nature evil.
My qusetion is how could this novel be related to the everyday life of our generation? Give examples.
"A symbol is something concrete that repersents a thing or idea.", it serves as an importance of the story that the author reaches out to the reader, so it can be understood and taken to a level of deeper thinking.(The Lord of the Flies Interactive Game).In the beginning of the book, we are intoduced to the first sybmbol which is the conch. The conch is repersented as authority and political legitmacy, it is the first sign of civilzation that we see on the island. They start with " ..hold[ing] it when [they] speak."(Golding 33). "Because the rules are the only thing.." they have to keep them together structurly, Raplh decides that "[When having the conch no one] won't be interrupted.Expect by [Ralph himself]."(Golding 33). The conch is used throughout the novel until the last few chapter. It is still insisted that the coch be used, it is said that "If you don't blow well soon be animals" in which they do become before and after the conch is smashed.
In response ot Marvin M.:
Thsi could connect to todays generation by the by the curiosity that one has to discover whats with in. Examples could be people that kill for pure entertainment such similar to Jack.
My Question:
Do any of the symbols from the novel, Lord of the Flies, repersent aspects of Goldings life? Explain.
Symbolism can be defined as the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. Symbols help the reader better understand the context of the novel. For example, Piggy is a symbol of adulthood "We just got to go on, that's all. That’s what grownups would do." (Golding 139) Piggy unlike the other boys has to be a grownup. Piggy never grows his hair or gets fat. Piggy remains constant throughout the novel. The glasses that Piggy wears symbolize his logic and reasoning as they light the fire, that ended the "... blackness within, a blackness that spread." (Golding 144)
In response to Christina Zamora's question: Yes, Golding's aspect of life is expressed throughout the novel. Golding was in the Royal Navy in which "...he grew a pessimistic view of mankind, which he compared to the brutality he saw about him, including being a part of storming the beach at Normandy."(LOTF Notes) Those experiences he went through, gave him insight to write “Lord of The Flies”.
My Question: Since the storming of the beach at Normandy influenced Golding’s novel, what other events that happen now can be connected to Lord of the Flies? Explain with text evidence.
Symbolism partakes a huge role in both novles, and short stories. Symbolsim is purposely thought distinctively and diliberatley in order for the reader to dig deep, and go far into depth within the book's meaning.
While reading this book during the summer, I didn't realize or pick up on the all of the excessive amount of symbolism that William Golding distributed into the novel. For example, from the very beginning of the novel, when the conch is found by Piggy and Ralph, they use it in order to "call the others...to have a meeting" (Golding 16). While reading over this the first time, I simply skipped over the words and sentences, not even bothering to search for any symbolism what-so-ever. Once class started, I soon realized that the conch represented government, or law and order, persay. The conch was a sacred possesion in the beginning of the book, but gradually began to lose it's respect torwards the end of the novel, when everyone's mind became disentangled and chaotic. Government had no meaning, so the island began to lose it's civilization. The only person that really stuck and obeyed the conch's rules was Piggy, which leads me to my next symbolism point.
As I had stated in my earlier blog, Piggy was the superego aspect. He was the adult figure, in other words. He stuck by the rules, and was completley harmless. Due to his constant objections to the discrete ideas that Jack offered, Piggy was constantly bullied by Jack. Since this book was written during the time of WWII, it has a hitorical sybolism backround, as well.
As I'm sure all of you are familiar with WWII, and who was involved, Jack represented Hitler, and I'm sure it's clear why. He was constantly calling Piggy "fatty", and if you know your historical facts, we all know who Hitler was after during the war(Golding 21). Yes, the Jews. Piggy represented the Jewish people of europe that were constantly abused and mistreated for no valid reason.
To answer Marvin M's question, this book can, indeed be related to everyday life, and the lives that have yet to arrive. Humans are humans. We're never going to change our ways of thought, or how are brains intereact with one another. As I stated earlier, when Jack had specified Piggy with a new abrupt nickname, "fatty", he had called him that within a few minutes of meething him. Jack had absolutley no idea if Piggy was a geniune guy, or friend. He simply examined his physical apperance and labeled him with the first, cruel word that came to mind. THis relates back to our everday life by how young adults, or even full grown adults, label each other by someone else's skin color, mental issues, or any other outrageous and unique features that arn't considered "normal" for our day to day society.
My Question: Do you think their's a specific reason as to why Golding used Christianity for his religious allegory, as opposed to any other religion?
Symbols serve an important role in novels and short stories. They are concrete, tangible things that contribute to a greater meaning than what is expected from simply reading a passage. They help get the meaning across. In Lord of the Flies, many symbols are used to help describe the inner evil within all human beings. William Golding meticulously puts certain things in order to reveal how savage and brutal we become in times of great pressure when the demand for survival is foreseen before morality. An important symbol that describes the general theme of the story is the beast. If we take a look at the conversation between Simon and the Beast, we will be able to further understand the greater meaning: "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!" said the head. [...] "You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? [...] I'm the reason why it's no go [...]" (Golding 143). Here, we begin to grasp the full extent of Golding's message. The Beast was something one could not hunt or kill. This is true from a more abstract point-of-view. According to Golding, we cannot kill the Beast within each of us. We are all inherently evil; it is our nature to be brutal and savage when it comes to times like this. Through this short passage, the "Beast" mentions that he became a part of Simon. This can be connected to our lives; there is a beast within all of us; it just doesn't come out as often and only when we are tested. Another symbol that is present through out the entire story is the conch. " "I got the conch," said Piggy bleakly. He turned to Ralph. "I got the conch, ain't I Ralph?"[...]"The conch. I got the right to speak." " (Golding 45). This example is one of the many instances in which Piggy tries to bring order into society by telling everyone that he has the conch. In the novel, we see how the conch was more than just a rock; it was a binding power that brough order into society. Whenever someone wanted to speak, one must take the conch. While somone is holding the conch, no one can speak. This was one of the few ways in which order and law were attempted in the society. These two ideas are also powerful in that they tested the boys' ability to maintain this order and "social law". Obviously, this attempt failed, supporting the fact that we as humans, become different during difficult times. As "the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" the point is proven about how government, order, and law are all banished from this savage society. (Golding 181). When the conch broke, it signaled the end of rule and ushered in more chaos. The fire on the mountain also symbolizes rescue but a far deeper meaning can be seen. The fire showed the boys' want to be a part of society and "civilization." However, as the priority of the fire became low, the civilized community turned into savages. They did not want to be a part of society but wanted to be part of their own, make their own rules, and feed their own, human nature: evil. Ralph and Piggy were the only ones who were not tempted into their inner desires: they still wanted civilization and the end to the beast within all of them.
In response to Margaret H., I do believe that Golding specifically used Christianity as his religious allegory partly because Golding was very careful in choosing every detail, even up to the names of the children. Golding used this religion because it worked in the opposite way; through this, he revealed how the events and ideas in the story were completely opposite of the ethical code of Christianty, which is to attempt to become pure. Golding showed us that this idea of a higher level of spirituality was impossible because man is inherently evil. He also used this probably because more people would recognize the aspects of Christianity as it was and still is a popular religion, which would aid the reader in understanding the novel more.
Question: If man is inherently evil, as the novel suggests, is it possible for us to ever let go of this trait, or will we always be "bad"?
The symbols in novels and short stories are to explain the deeper meaning in the story.
In Lord of the Flies,
the island-hell
the pig's head-the devil
Piggy's glasses-knowledge
Simon-Jesus
Piggy-the adult world
Jack-savagery and Hitler
Roger-Mussolini
Ralph-Allied Forces
Samneric-conquered contries that joined
Littleuns- Jews
Biggins-SS Soldiers
Black-evil
Pink-life
White-death
Green-nature
The Parachutist-human nature is evil
The colours are described throughout the story. When something bad happens in the story, you see the dark colours or white. When you see order or law you see pink which is on the conch. The people have different personalities of course because they are separate people.
ANSWER TO LEXI'S QUESTION:
The other ways that Golding used to convey theme would be the motifs like loss of innocence and loss of identity.
QUESTION:
Why do you think William Golding used symbolism and motifs in his novel? Explain.
Symbols serve a great purpose in a novel or short story. The word symbol stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship. These symbols give a grater depth to a novel or short story even the symbol it self could change a whole passage just based on how the author uses the symbol. In Lord of The Flies there were two symbols that stood out to me. The conch was one of them who represented law and order. “We can use this to call the others. Having a meeting…” (Golding 16) “He caressed the shell respectfully,” (Golding 38) another of the symbols was the pig’s head on a stick that one represented chaos and evil. “Even butterflies deserted the open space where the obscene thing grinned and dripped.” (Golding 138) “There was blackness within, a blackness that spread” (Golding 144) so based on these symbols in the end Golding’s message was “Man is inherently evil” or like in the LOTF game “there’s a fine line between civilization and chaos”
Answering Nyesha question:
Of course hunters can be a symbol it just all depends on how you interpret the book. The way I understood it is that, the hunters had already fallen in hands of evil since lord of the flies (The pig’s head) represented chaos and evil. Simon represented a Christ like figure that was the hope and salvation of the kids. In the book on page 143- 144 were Simon is talking to the pig’s head. The head is arguing telling Simon not to stop him, that he was taking over and he already had, at least over the hunters who now lost innocence and turned into savages.
My Question is:
Based in our understanding of the book, how would the symbols and story change if Jack Meridew had been chosen chief?
In both novels and short stories, symbols are very important, they make the story have a deeper meaning. When authors use symbolism, they use simple objects, to show a deeper meaning, which makes readers think hard into the book's meaning.
Symbolism is used throughout the entire novel. One example of the symbolism is the symbol of Piggy's specs. The specs are very important to Piggy, because without them, he can't see, but to the other boys and to the book as a whole, they symbolize logic. A big part of logic in this book, is survival, according to Ralph the only way to survive is with the signal fire. The boys only know how to make a fire with Piggy's specs, so whichever tribe has the specs, and have the likelihood of surviving. According to one of the boys in Ralph's tribe, after the raid by Jack, " They've got our fire.. They stole it" (Golding 169). The boys think that when the specs are stolen, they're fire was stolen, showing that the specs were a symbol of survival.
Another example of symbolism in Lord of the Flies is the signal fire. The signal fire symbolizes hope and rescue. Without the fire, Ralph believes that there is no way of being rescued, and soon makes the other boys think that way as well. While the boys were on the beach, the realized, "The fire was out, smokeless and dead..." (Golding 68). The fire was out and described as dead, which shows that without fire that might be the result of the boys. The fire is the boy’s only way of being rescued, even though a signal fire isn't what gets them rescued; a fire is still the source of the rescue.
Another one of the important symbols in the book is the conch. The conch symbolizes order and government. The conch is the object in the beginning of the book that gets the boys to gather before each meeting. The conch is also the object that brought all the boys together in the first place, Piggy says, "We can use this to call the other. Have a meeting" (Golding 16). The conch is seen as a good tool to keep order in the group of boys from the beginning. The conch is a symbol that remains constant through the book, until it breaks, and chaos takes over the island.
The last symbol that I am going to mention is the overall characters of the book. The characters of the book symbolize people in Christianity. Simon symbolizes Jesus; the Lord of the Flies symbolizes the devil. The conversation between Simon and the pig head, "we shall do you?" (Golding 144). This comment made by the Lord of the Flies, shows that it was the devil. The island that the boys are stuck on also is a symbol that shows hell. The characters and surroundings make up the allegory of Christianity as well as a symbol.
In Response to Alfred A:
I think that the author suggests that humans are born with inhumanity, but as you grow up, you are taught to be well behaved. Like the boys in Lord of the Flies, they were well behaved before they went into savagery, because they were taught that as they were growing up. It was when they didn't have an adult looking over them to remind them of the proper behavior, that they became savage.
My Question:
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses colors as a symbol. The color white is normally viewed as bright and full of life, but in the novel it symbolizes death. Why do you think the author would use white as a symbol of death rather than its normal view?
Symbolism is used throughout Lord of the Flies. The purpose of symbolism is to to help create a thought through things and places. The symbolism of the signal fire was hope.The boys wanted to be resued so they build a fire to signaling their presence on the island. "Theres another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make a smoke in top of the mountain. We must make a fire." {Golding 38}, "The fire is the most important thing in the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?" {Golding 80} Another symbolism in LOTF is the dead parachutist symbolizing the beast. The beast intenionally landed on the island with scaring the little ones making them afraid. "I was asleep when the twisty things were fighting and when they went away as I was awake, and I saw something big and horrid moving in the trees." {Golding 85} Like these examples there are many more of symbolism used throughout the book representing significant things such as the island, conch, Jack and Ralph. William Golding uses symbolism to express his thoughts into a deeper meaning.
To answer Febin's question:
Symbolism is really important in LOTF because it shows a deeper meaning and it allows the reader to get the full effect of what the author is trying portray. Each character and object symbolizes a very important aspect in the LOTF.
My question is:
What is the relationship between the Lord of the Flies and World War II?
A symbol is an object used to represent an idea. The purpose of using symbols in a novel or short story is to help expand on a idea and bring out its significance. For example, the conch was a huge symbol. The boys knew that they needed some sense of government, so as soon as they found the conch, they knew that this object was a great way to call and bring peple together. As Ralph had said, "we can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us (Golding 16). Even though the conch had been a symbol, another symbol was the fire. Ralph had always considered the fire important and he also considered it as a way to get home. They all soon came to realize that without the fire, nobody would know that they were there. They all knew "to keep a clean flag of flame flying on the mountain was the immediate end and no one loooked further" (Golding 41). Symbols were shown throughout the whole novel and by doing this, it has allowed us to see the novel in terms of Golding's point of view.
To answer Michelle's question, I think Golding used motifs and symbolism in his novel to show a point beyond the fact that it is hard surviving alone, but also that it can change many people.
My question is: What do you think Golding was trying to convey about the topic of survival through symbolism?
In a short story or novel, symbols are the details that help create the theme of the story. They intensify the storyline by aiding the author to get their point across. In the novel LOTF, symbols are used to portray the theme that there is an inevitable inner malevolence in all human beings. When Golding places young children on an island, they are forced to mature at an adolescent age, and it soon portrays this theme.
At the beginning, Jack agreed that they all had “to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages” (Golding 42). By the end of the novel, they had become what society would be without the privileges of civilization. The beast went along with this idea, for it represented the devil in the novel. As Simon realized when he spoke with the beast, it was not a creature, but a “part of you… I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?” (Golding 143). As Simon was speaking with the beast, he grasped the idea that it was the evil within us, but unfortunately for the rest of the boys they murdered him before they knew the truth.
Another symbol in the novel is the conch. It followed the events from the story. In the beginning it is pink and quite powerful. It was used “to call the others [and] have a meeting,” for the children all came whenever they heard the conch blown (Golding 16). Throughout the novel, the symbol it portrays (law and order) diminishes. As well, its color goes from pink to white to transparent, and at the end of the book it “exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181).
An additional symbol is the paint that Jack uses on his face. When the boys went for the first time to hunt, he realized that he was uncomfortable about killing a pig. The boys were holding the pig down, but Jack did not stab the pig as he was expected to, and so “they were left looking at each other and the place of terror” (Golding 31). The boys all “knew very well why he hadn’t… because of the unbearable blood” (Golding 31). Jack realized that he had to prove to the boys why he should be leader of the hunters, so he “planned his new face [and] made one cheek and one eye-socket white… the mask compelled them (Golding 63-64).This showed the meaning of hiding self from self in order to gain respect from others.
To answer Alfred’s question, if man is inherently evil as the novel suggests, it is impossible for us (as society) to ever let go of the trait. At the beginning of the novel, the boys are innocent, like normal society, but by the end of the novel they have committed crimes which would never happen in normal situations. At the end of the novel, once the naval officer found them, Ralph “wept for the end of innocence, [and] the darkness of man’s heart,” showing that any member of society, even the innocent, are capable of destructing civilizations and having evil will (Golding 202).
In LOTF, many events happen on the beach. For example, Ralph finds the conch, their first meeting is held on the beach, and they are finally rescued there. Why did Golding create those events on the beach? Does the beach represent something? If so, what?
In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies, symbolism plays an important role in conveying theme. Each character represents specific aspects of society and human nature. For exapmle, Ralph represents the part of society that has been conformed into being unaturally good. Roger represents the part of society that cannot be controlled; the part that has no conscious. Jack, however, represents the natural and inevitable instincts of human nature. He is vile and cruel, and has a bloodlust that cannot be quenched.When Jack and the others kill the mother sow, Jack " found the [sow's] throat and hot blood spouted over his hands", and at that moment, to the boys, blood is everything (Golding 135). When put in certain situations every human being has the potential of becoming like Jack. Each of these aspects come together to define the thin lines in society, and how each of them can be broken. Aside from people, objects in the novel also contain symbolism. The conch symbolises authority for a main portion of the story. The conch is also very fragile and "explode[s] into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" (Golding 181), and this represents how easily law and order can be broken.
To answer Jane's Question, I believe that the book would still contain the same intense aspects even without religious connections. Without these religious connections, the story would be based off of just the evil of mankind and how easily society can be broken. Instead of Simon representing the christ figure, he would just represent a natural goodness that can see through good and evil. Also, instead of Jack and The Lord of The Flies representing the anti-christ, they simply represent evil in its finest quality.
My question is: What, if anything, on the island represents the great unknown of the universe?
Symbolism is used to represent things or ideas in a story.
One of the main symbols in Lord of the Flies (LotF) is the island itself. The island represents the isolation of the boys, it can be seen as either a "Garden of Eden" or "Hell on Earth", and it is the basis for the story.
In the beginning of the novel, Piggy feels the loneliness of the island when he says "We may stay here till we die" (Golding 14). The boys are isolated from the entire world and are all alone on this remote island. This is also the base upon which the story evolves and develops: The boys must fend for themselves.
The juxtaposition in the story is how the island can be viewed as good or bad. At first, the island is a haven for the boys. They even go so far as to say “This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we’ll have fun.” (Golding 35).
There are no grown-ups to tell them what to do and the "dazzling beach and water" amazes them (Golding 10).
However the island also had an evil side. Fires are set, boys are killed, structure is shattered, and chaos reins on the island later on. The island IS what forces the boys to act the way they do in the novel.
To answer Keavy B.
The unknown on the island would have to be the beast. When the issue comes up, the boys constantly argue about if there really is a beast or not. They do not know about it and they fear it. Later, when Jack breaks away with his own tribe, they offer part of their kill as "a gift for the beast" because they fear it so much (Golding 137). Now whether or not the beast is the unknown “of the universe” I can’t really say.
It is no secret that people and animals are killed in the novel. Which kills (if any) are significant to the story, and explain why.
Purpose of symbols helps the reader understand the actual event thats occuring at that moment. It actually gets you thinking deeper into the book. For example, in the game "Simon" means good listener. But when reading thru the book you really dont think of his name like that though the logic of his name does too make sense. The whole point of sybolism is really just to support the moral of the story and idea.
In Lord of the Flies symbolism plays a big role. The symbols in the book are basically like things the boys used to survive. Such as the conch, the fire, and Piggy's glasses. The conch was a symbol that gave the person, who ever had it, the power to speak above all the other people without being interupred."Ill give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he is speaking, and he wont be interrupted."(Golding 33) But some of the symbols were not really used in a good way such as the pigs head, or also known as the lord of the flies. It represented the devil. Color also would be a symbol. for example, red is like blood, white is death, and black is evil. "There was blackness within. A blackness that spread." (Golding 144)
To answer Nazareth's question i would say that the symbols would be changed to represent everything evil. Jack was'nt really the kind of person to care about other people but himself. If it were to be just him and someone else on the island with no pigs or food he would probably kill the other person for survival of the fitess. But all the symbols would be everything he wanted it to be and not what everyone agrees on.
My Question:
How do you think the boys would have survived if they never had the conch shell, things to make fire, or pigs to eat?
The purpose of symbols in Lord of the Flies was to make the readers think about the story and imagine that this could really happen. The conch for example, “was deep cream… with fading pink”, represented the law and order if the boys (Golding 16). Whenever Ralph would blow the conch all the boys knew that there was a meeting. In the game it gives quotes that support this idea. Another symbol is Piggy’s glasses. They had represented how the boys would survive and live. Without his glasses there could be no fire, without any fire the boys would never be rescued and they would die. Ralph constantly reminds them that the fire is the “only thing that will rescue us” (Golding 79).
To answer Nyesha’a question, I do believe the hunters can be a symbol. They are the ones who provide food for the boys and help keep the boys living. “Look at that bone in your hands” (Golding 150).
My question is how do u think the boys would have acted if Ralph had died instead of Piggy?
Symbolism plays a very important role in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The conch symbolized law, order and civilization. All the boys would assemble down to go and have meetings the sound of the conch was like the sound of something like a school bell in which the boys had to respect the conch and the one who was holding the conch. “We could use this to call the others, Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us.” (Golding 16) The ship at in the end of the novel symbolizes the real society and how they always come back to save its people. The boy’s lost hope in being rescued only Ralph cared, but when they eventually were saved the police acted like they just got there even though they have been there for years. “We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something?”(Golding 201) The pigs head on the stick or the initial lord of the flies, symbolized evil and how all the boys proved to be evil during their barbeque in when there evilness ended up in killing Simon which the pig head foreshadowed. “well then, said the Lord of the Flies, you’d better run off and play with the others. They think you’re batty” (Golding 143) the fire symbolized the hope of being rescued, every time the fire went out so did their chances of being rescued, that’s why Ralph was really mad every time the fire went out because he was determined to make it back to his home. “The fire is the most important thing. Without the fire we can’t be rescued.”(Golding 142)
My Question: why do you think that the lord of the flies symbolized the evil and focused on the evil and little on the good of people when the most significant people were the good people?
To answer Keavy B.’s question: the death of the mother pig was very significant to the story because the pig was mothering her babies and the boys ironically chose to kill her than being reasonable and killing a male pig that has nothing to take care of. This poor decision resulted in less food of hopes of food for the boys and the fascination of the animal cruelty which was desperately unnecessary showed that the boy were lost to the wild and had no conscience.
Symbols are used to represent feelings, ideas, etc., that aren't really there. They "are concrete and represent another thing or idea" (LOTF game). They serve an important purpose in this story. For example, Piggy, representing adult supervision and control, is denied. Showing they are not totally being forced to act the way they do. They want to so they are, even though they are given the option to do otherwise. Piggy's name itself is a clear example of symbolism. He is made fun of because he is fat, and that is originally how it starts, but it has a much deeper meaning. The poor animals they hunt and kill during this time are pigs. His name foreshadows that at some point he will also be killed. The conch symbolizes law and order throughout the book and represent an "mini-government". When the conch is destroyed (also, significantly around the time Piggy, or "adult supervision's" death) it shows the end of any sort of control these boys had or any control there was over these boys. At this point in the book is the point where I felt all hope was lost. They were completely controlled by this savagery. So much so that they were willing to burn down the whole island, all their food, and eventually themselves and any hope for survival as long as they destroyed Ralph. Even the title is from a word meaning devil. Golding may have been trying to show us how he thinks the devil is in us all.
To answer Nyesha question: Yes, the hunters are most definitely a symbol. Just like Jack, they represnt the savagery and evil that the boys have fallen into. or in Golding"s perspective, the evil that is within all men.
My question is: Which symbol is the most important part of this story and its theme? Why, and how does Golding use this effectively ? Give textual support.
Symbols are concrete items that represent another item. Symbols are important for a story such as this because they represent a description of an idea. In “Lord of the Flies” symbols and symbolism are used to show the ideas, messages and theme of Golding’s novel. The themes of this book is “mans inhumanity to one another” and “it is in human nature to be inherently evil”. Some of the symbols that serve the purpose of Golding’s themes are the Lord of the Flies himself, Simon, Piggy, and the Conch.
The main symbol for evil is the Lord of the Flies. He is the evil figure and the Devil himself. As being the master of the island in a way (which is a hell on earth and another symbol) he vies for control of Simon, so that Simon becomes like the other boys on the island (Golding 143&144)
Simon is the “Jesus” character of the story. He helps the littleuns when they ask for it. (Golding 56). Also Simon is giving in a way that the others think him ungrateful and crazy because he shares his food with Piggy on page 74 of the book. (Golding 74)
Piggy is the symbol of unchanging times. During the whole book he does not change at all. The whole story takes place in about several years and while the other kids get skinny and tan and get long hair he stays white fat and has short hair.
The last of symbols that I am using s the Conch. During the beginning of the story it is pink and beautiful. At the end when it was shattered it was white and dead and kind of decrepit. (Golding 16&181)
my Question is: outline the color symbols of the story.
Symbolism is used a lot in the book "The Lord of The Flies," by William Golding. One example of symbolism in the book is the title for starters. The title symbolizes the pig's head on the stick as well as the devil-like figure."You know perfectly well you'll only meet me down there."(Golding 143) This proves that the title is of utmost importance in the story. The fire was a sign of rescue and hope according to the game. In the book, it told us that they wanted to keep the fire just to get rescued. The conch possessed power and issued a government type setting in the beginning of the story."We've got to have rules and obey them."(Golding 42) The parachutist was shown as adult supervision in the game and shows that the kids needed an adult to watch them. The bad thing about the parachutist was that none of the kids saw him, and they never found out. Piggy in the story represented reason and logic. One way you could tell was that his hair never grew or that he never lost any weight compared to the other boys. He might of never been listened to, but he was the one that remained sane. The island represented isolation in the book."No grownups!"(Golding 8) At the beginning of the story, they thought it was paradise and lots of fun, and it later on turned out to be a living hell that nobody wanted to live on. William Golding placed these pieces of symbolism in the story on purpose to show the importance of all the small details instead of just the big picture.
In Response to Nyesha D:
I think the hunters could be described as the soldiers of Hitler or in this case Jack. The hunters or soldiers obeyed Jack from the very beginning when they first met, until the ending where they all end up being saved.
My Question:
How did symbolism help the flow of the book? Explain your opinion with evidence.
The word symbol represents things by symbolizing, or investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. Symbols are used by many authors because it helps the reader understand the situation in a more detailed and significant manner. The massive number of symbols Golding uses represents the symbolic reason for the events of the novel. However, the island itself was a huge symbol. As the boys go through the difficulties they come upon many other symbolic situations. For example, the conch shows "law and order", "they have to keep them together structurly, Ralph decides that, when having the conch no one will be interrupted."(Golding 33)., While piggy's glasses show power and intellectual, it shows which group had the likelihood of surviving. According to one of the boys in Ralph's tribe, after the raid by Jack, " They've got our fire.. They stole it" (Golding 169). The boys think that when the specs are stolen, they're fire was stolen. And also, the signal fire represents hope of being rescued and the division of the civilization from savagery."'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? Only now there's no signal going up. Ships may be passing" (Golding 196). As a result Golding used many symbolic events throughout his novel.
To answer Nazareth's question: I think the symbols and story would have changed if Jack Meridew had been chosen chief because he would have done things differently then Ralph had done. Like example, Ralph used the conch to summon all the boys together, however, Jack would not have cared where and what the others were doing besides him and his choir group. As everyone knows that Jack eagerly wanted to hunt and kill the pig we can convey that he would not have been a strong leader. For instance, Jack mainly wanted to accomplish killing animals and he would do anything for himself to be rescued. In fact, these same situations would have changed the story if Jack Meridew was the leader instead of Ralph.
My question: How are Simon and Golding religiously compared? Why?
The symbols used in Lord of the Flies helps develop the theme of the novel, which is man is inherently evil. There were many symbols used,the conch,the fire,Piggy's glasses, and the parachutist. The fire was a symbol of hope to get off the island."We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain"(Golding 38).The only thing that Ralph really wanted was the fire. This is because this was the greatest chance of getting rescued. The conch represents law and order."I'll the give the conch to the next to speak.He can hold it when he's speaking.And he won't be interrupted.Except by me" (Golding 33). Symbols are used to create greater depth of the story.
In response to Devon Ross black means evil,pink symbolizes life, and white is equal to death.
My Question:
Explain the relationships between the Lord of the Flies character as to World War II people.
The purpose of symbols serve in the Lord of the Flies is to,"represent another thing or idea".(LOTF the game) and I think William Golding had several symbols in the book and the objects in the book such as the conch and piggy's glasses where the only thing used the characters symbolized things as well. Also I think the symbols are put there to prove a point and make us see life and society and things we go through to a whole different level and perspective. The conch represtend "law and order" (LOTF game)in the story because they would use that to call meetings or if somebody had something to say they would pass it around. Piggy's glasses represented "reason and logic" simply because there was a reason for anything and everthing that was done on that island and Piggy's glasses were used to make a the fire that made so they can be rescued. The Lord of the Flies represtened the "evil" in the book simpliy because Simon was showed that he lies within all the boys and weather they try to get away from it or not he's still going to be there. And that the something lies within him too! he knew but he didn't know. For example "You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?".....(Golding 143) So Golding put symbols in there to help the reader relize things.
And to anwser Alfred A's question just because the them of the book was all man is inherently evil doesn't mean that everbody is bad. It's just by those boys being stranded on the island w/no food basicly nothing and all their mixed emotions life takes a toll on you. Also I think that everybody gets pushed to their limit and everybody has some intintions to doing something evil even they are pretraied as being the "goody two shoes". So it's not a trait or that someone is bad it's just peoples limits.
My question:
Do you think if William Golding would have never based LOTF so much off of his life that the book would have been different and have it's same message that it gives now.
The purpose of using symbols in the novel Lord of the Flies is to portray a deeper connection or idea not obviously stated in the reading. They convey a stronger mental thought of what the author is trying to show. These symbols are "something concrete that represents another thing or idea." (LOTF Game). Golding not only gives something or someone symbolic value, but often times he gives it more then one symbolic value in different ways. For example, the pig's head on the stick, or otherwise known as "The Beast", is symbolizing death and the devil through two very distinctive ways. The Devil is symbolized by "a blackness that spread [from the Pig's head until it surrounded Simon and] he fell down and lost consciousness." (Golding 144). Death is symbolized by the Beast because it was a dead pig on a stick and it foreshadowed Simon's death. Soon after speaking to the Beast, Simon was killed by his own group and friends. Another symbol, the island, has a double meaning. It could symbolize "Life on Hell" or "The Garden of Eden". It can be shown as life on hell because it was so hot and there was a huge fire at the end creating more unneeded warmth. "The fire was a big one..." (Golding 197). It could also be The Garden of Eden because it was a pretty island with many fruit trees and a pretty setting. "In the dense jungle, food was plentiful..." (Stein 1). Symbols were crucial in this novel, without them you couldn't find as much of a deeper meaning as you can with them.
Response to Nyesha:
The hunters can be a symbol in them self. They can represent the front that Golding experienced in the war. Those soldiers were the closest to the "action" and the first to kill people that approached them, while the hunters were the ones who killed the food. Although other forces in the war killed people, they were still closer to the actual battle grounds. The hunters of the novel were the only ones to killed anything which shows they can be a symbol.
Question:
Based on the religious symbols of the novel discussed in class, do you believe the adult on the battleship could be symbolized by anyone religiously? Explain.
I think the purpose of symbols is to convey deeper-level ideas that transmit the author’s view as well as allow for room for interpretation by the reader. They allow the author to say many things in one word or idea. Besides this practicality, it also allows us as the reader to annotate and delve deeper into the meaning of the novel. In short, symbols allow us to understand what we’re reading.
Each reader’s interpretation varies. For example, on Monday in our Socratic seminar, Jack’s mask was interpreted. One student said that Jack’s mask allowed him to become “powerful and free of guilt.” The symbols add to the story because without Jack and his mask, which allowed him to succumb to his id, the novel would be completely changed.
In response to Margaret H.’s question, I think that Golding chose Christianity because he wrote about things he had experienced. He used British boys as his characters, which he had taught and observed. He also wrote about things he had realized during World War II. Golding was a very religious man, even if he didn’t go to church. Authors usually write about things they know about, and I think Golding was most informed about Christianity. If he had chosen a different religion, the symbols he used would not exist because no other religion believes in Jesus Christ.
My question: Why do you think Golding set his story in a future World War III? Do you think he believed a future World War would be inevitable?
In the Novel Symbols provide a look into the real meaning of the story as it said in the game "Its an Adventure Story"(LOTF Game) and symbols make it a lot more than just that. As we know Simon serves as the Christ like figure and LOTF Serves as the devil we can see through the encounter in chapter 8 as the lord of the flies mocks simon saying "There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast....Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!" Much like Jesus on the hill and the talking Rock which was Satan (Someone Correct me If I'm wrong I'm not very religion Savvy) Piggy's glasses as we know are the logic in society which much like Piggy is mostly intelligent. Piggy's glasses which are used to start the fire which is the Hope of savior as Ralph very much believes as we can see when the fire goes out and its said "There was a ship. Out there. You said you'd keep the fire going and you let it out! [...] They might have seen us. We might have gone home-'..."(Golding 70) which he becomes greatly frustrated as the one chance they may have had of rescue is lost. Many of the Symbols in Lord of the Flies add to the theme of Innate Darkness, Loss of Innocence, Savagery vs. Civilization Etc. which Golding uses to there fullest potential.
To Answer Margaret H. Question, Golding happened to be Christian which is why he most likely used Christianity as an Allegory, rather than Islam or Judaism because he knew much more about Christianity.
My Question, If you had no Knowledge of the Symbols in LOTF would you have read it as a Regular Novel? Why or Why Not.
Symbols represent what is known as ideas or things that can foreshadow other matters. Golding puts in specific symbols for a reason to portray characters & their perspectives. Its meant to go more into depth and is purposely in the story to create more of a theme to it.
Take for example the symbol of the pigs head on a stick which was the Lord of the Flies. He himself was the devil who obviously represents chaos & evil. The name "Lord of the Flies" is from the word "Beezlebub" which in the bible is the prince of the devils. The whole book itself is named after chaos & evil. As the Lord of the Flies was talking to Simon "...You knew didnt you...you know perfectly well that I'm in you... i'm the reason what they are (Golding 143)
Another example would be the symbol of fire which is rescue & hope. But Ralph gets his hope down every time he attempts a rescue. For instance, at the time when the boys made a fire right when a ship was just coming there way. "Theres another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make a smoke in top of the mountain. We must make a fire." (Golding 38)
As a final vivid example, the conch clearly represents law & order. When it was blown everyone came together, also when a boy had it they were allowed to speak. Its also the first sign of civilization and legalism. "...holding it when they speak... I have the conch! I can talk! (Golding 33)
In response to Christina's question:
Yes many symbols represent aspects of Golding's life. For example, Golding was a teacher at an all boys school so he basically only had a persepective of boy's thinking. Which is also why all the characters in the novel are all boys. He also saw savagery in war which he was also in & how competitive people get to survive. It brings us back to the theme that man is inherently evil.
My question:
How do you think the story would of differed if Jack was in charge from the beginning?
The purpose of the symbols in Lord of The Flies, and the game is to explain the theme of the story that man is inherditly evil. For example the scar symbolized the crash of the plane leaving an actual scar that the island will always remember, as shown in the game at the very beginning the plane crashing into the island.Also the fire that was caused by the boys because of Jack's desire to kill Ralph. As the book explains how the island was being destroyed it said, "A tree exploded in the fire like a bomb."(Golding 46.) Also showing the fire on the game.
Also symbols such as Jack symbolized Hitler or the evil forces wich brought chaos and mayhem to the island,all because of Jack craving power of leader as Jack says, " "we'll hunt. I'm going to be chief." (Golding 133.)
ANSWER to Joven Hill
If i had no knowledge of the symbols, no i wouldnt read it as a regular novel because the without the knowledge of symbols i wouldnt know what the author was really trying to say other than there was a group of boys who got stuck to an unknown island killing each other for survival.
MY QUESTION:
Do you feel as if the symbols ONLY portrayed that man is evil? Or do you think they could have symbolized some other senerio?
Symbols can server many purposes in a short story or novel. They can give a story a deeper meaning, make it easier to understand the theme, and help the reader understand a character more. In LOTF Golding used many symbols for all of those reasons. The conch symbolized law and order on the island, "They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority..." (Golding 59). The boys saw the conch as symbol of authority, and as it is in society, authority is sometimes opposeed, which is what happened in the book. The conch began to lose its power over the boys and chaos ensued.
The glasses Piggy wore represented wisdom and rationality. He was so protective of them, as if he knew that once they were gone, all rational thought would be gone from the island as well. Another symbol of the story was the island itself. It represnted "hell on Earth" and the Garden of Eden. It began as a peaceful garden,"...[palm trees] stood or reclined agsinst the light and their green feathers were a hundred feet up in the air." (Golding 7). Then it soon changed into Hell where Ralph had to hide to survive.
Question:
Why do you think Golding chose to set the story on an island? Why not in thier hometowns, or another part of the world?
Response to Jovan H.:
When i first read to novel, i had no prior knowledge about it at all. It wasn't until after the book was discussed in class that i understood the symbols and how much of an impact the novel actually has. I think having a deeper understanding of the novel before reading, definately gives it a whole new meaning.
Symbols serve the purpose of portraying something else without directly saying it. Symbols make the reader pay closer attention to the novel to be able to pick out underlying messages. William Golding used a lot of symbols in his book Lord of the Flies. For example, the color pink represents life (LOTF notes) and in the beginning of the novel Golding stresses how full of life everything is. He does this by describing the setting that “the most usual feature of the rock was a pink cliff [...] and that again, till the pinkness became a stack of balanced rock projecting through the looped fantasy of […] where the pink cliffs rose out of the ground” (Golding 26). At the beginning of the novel, everything is full of life and pure until the boys come along and destroy it. The color white symbolizes death (LOTF notes) and when Piggy dies, the conch (a symbol for the government) “exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). These symbols illustrate the theme that humanity destroys nature.
To answer Christina Z’s question: I think that the symbol of darkness and the color black definitely represented when Golding was at war. During war, there’s black coming from the smoke and when there’s smoke, there is usually death.
My Question is: We know that Golding based Lord of the Flies upon his experiences in the war. How do you think the novel would have been different if Golding had not gone to the war? Explain.
The purpose of symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” is to bring out the bigger meaning. In a short story or novel, symbols can make all the difference in the theme being one thing to it being another. In “Lord of the Flies” one of the symbols was the island. The island represented “hell”. Even though the island may have been thought of as paradise or a beautiful place in the beginning, towards the end the island became a product of the boys’ behavior. When the naval officer came to rescue the boys on the island, “behind [Ralph], the whole island was shuddering with flame.” (Golding 201). Simon was a symbol himself. He represented the Christ figure. When Simon was “talking” to the “Lord of the Flies”, “it” said to Simon that “this is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there-so don’t try to escape!” (Golding 143). When reading that, you think about how Jesus and the Devil meet again “down there” when Jesus goes back to save the others and brings them to heaven. Simon will eventually do the same thing and save the parachutes spirit and take it to heaven; kind of like saving the innocent, but in another light. There were many other symbols ion the story but these two are some of the main ones to pay attention to.
Symbolism really helps the reader understand the story and what the author is trying to show us through objects or people. For example the conch was used to symbolize government, in the book ralph used it to call meetings and it allowed the wielder the permission to speak aloud. Piggy's specs symbolized intellect since it was discovered, by the boys, able to produce focused light to prepare the fire. Pig's head on the stick marked the evil which was present on the island. The fire was the hope and rescue as it was their only hope to be saved. There are many more objects which were used. The game really helped me discover more things i didn't figure out and forced me to look up those things to see if they were true.
The purpose of symbols in LOFT is to show the link between the text and the real world. For example the pig's head on a stick without symbolism would we have known that actually means "beelzebub",a word from the bible, means devil. Along with the devil figure, the fire contributes to the symbolism of the island itself, "hell on earth" meaning things can be decieving.Then theres the conch, which stood as government on the isand. As the story goes on, it starts to say how the conch slowy begins to change,fade,eventually becoming transparent. This proves that without law and order that a country, or in this case a tribe of boys can fall to pieces. Simon is also a sign of symbolism, him being the christ figure of the story. The same as jesus did, knowing he was going to die came to free the people.Simon came down to the beach to free them of their of the beast. Though, it wasnt the devil that killed jesus, his muderers were his own people,completely the same as Simon's situation. This is to answer Christina B.'s question, there wouldnt have been much of a difference in the story because Golding based the book on not the war, but his christian faith and sainity.
In a novel or short story, symbols are the simple tools that the author uses to get a subliminal message across. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, he uses many different symbols to convey his theme of a fine line between good and evil. From the glasses to the dealings of the conch to the consistency of Piggy, symbols permeate the book. Even the people themselves stand as symbols and are used in such manner. Like when we first see the conch, it is “something creamy [laying] among the ferny weeds”, but as the story and plot go on, we see the conch transform and change colors, going from a creamy deep pink to a pale stricken white. (Golding 15) Therefore it is clear that at the beginning, the conch symbolizes hope and rescue, but as the plot progresses, the conch fails in everything and ends up with death.
To answer Stephanie C: The two most important symbols is the conch and the glasses. As I previously mentioned, the conch is a gift at first, and then grows to be unwanted and death filled. As for the glasses, they represent life and hope for survival and escape. As we see the more tear and wear on the glasses, we see that the boys life becomes harder and harder to manage.
My question is: Could the boys hair length and growth be considered a symbol? How and Why?
In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the author uses symbolism to represent abstract ideas through concrete objects and characters. Golding's use of the fire, Simon, and the Lord of Flies each represent very different and opposing ideas throughout the novel.
The fire represents the concept of hope and rescue. As the boys build up a fire, Ralph struggles to remember that "there was something good about a fire. Something overwhelmingly good..." (Golding, 142). He then states "'there's only one thing we can do to get out of this mess.'" (149). Both Piggy and Ralph realize that the boys only hope to getting off the island and back home safely is to start a signal fire so that a ship or plane may catch sight of them.
Simon symbolizes the Christ-like figure within the novel. Simon's conversation with the Lord of the Flies portrays his representation of Christ who faces the 'beast,' in other words, the devil. The Lord of the Flies says to him "'You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close!'" (143). Simon is ultimately the most pure within the group and the only one who realizes the actuality of what is within all of man-kind.
The Lord of the Flies symbolizes the evil that is within all of man kind. "'This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you'll only meet me down there- so don't try to escape!'" (143) the Lord of the Flies states. The head of the pig, is in other words, a representation of the theme of Golding's novel, man is inherently evil.
in response to brenda gil's question:
No. Not all symbols in William Golding's novel represent evil. As mentioned above in my answer, symbols such as fire and Simon's character represented a positive aspect and the force of good throughout the story.
question:
Who or what dominantly symbolized the positive side of the novel? Who or what dominantly represented the negative aspect of the novel? Why?
I believe that the symbols are the author's way of trying to prove a point. Golding represented a lot of symbols to show what he is trying to say. For example the conch is a sign of the boy's form of government. the conch, as the story progresses, began to fade and soon after was broken, showing how the government was slowly starting to die and finally ending over the course of the book.
Also, Piggy's glasses was a sign for power because who ever holds piggy's glasses has the power to create fire and can be the one who can gat them rescued by creating a signal fire.
Answer: other than symbolism, Golding also uses diction and imagery to convey the theme. he did this by describing how the island looked, showing how calm and serene the island looked in the beginning and compared it to how the island is now at the end of the book.
Quetion: explain why did golding used these things for symbolism.
Symbols are a main component in writing a novel for the fact that they tend to have multiple allegories. for example, In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the character ralph to represent a part of the social allegory.
Ralph represents not only the "... chief..."(Golding 29)but the government because he has to balance jacks appetite for power, piggies intelligence or technology and Simon's humanism. Even though he,"fails as power warps
technology, destroys humanism and
attempts to abolish government" which is himself, he acknowledged it and felt so remorseful that "tears began to flow and sobs shook him"(Golding 290). He gave up and let the walls that protected him from the pain that had been built from jacks rebellion and to simon and piggies down fall, now for the first time,"on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed wreck his whole body"(Golding 290)and he couldn't stop.
Nyesha's Q: yes because they represent in some ways leaders of the pack because they are providing meat for the group. That too is what led to the boys downfall in a way because there were too many males in one group and they tried to over shadow each others by turning the littuns against ralph and by manipulating them with their fears of the beast.. well jack did but in the end it came down to how many followers you had and if you were not on their side then you would be eliminated.
My Q: Identify the different allegories of the coral island.
Response to Mrs. Alexopoulos:
In both novels and short stories, symbols add to the stories deeper meaning. Authors use symbolism to show the deeper meaning and theme of a novel or short story. Symbolism plays a major role in Lord of The Flies.
One example of symbolism in Lord of The Flies are Piggy's glasses. In a literal sense, Piggy needs his specs for his vision. But in a more symbolic way, his glasses show the separation between man and animal. The glasses symbolize man's ability to perceive and think. The boy's on the island used Piggy's glasses to start a signal fire. The fire was the only hope of rescue because "... [rescuers] might have seen [it]" (Golding 70). Combining this intelligent way of using the glasses for the fire with the fact that they were Piggys, a very logical and intellectual boy, show how the glasses symbolize man's ability to think and perceive. The glasses show how a few of the boys held on to some sense of logic, barely separating them from the full extent of savagery.
Another very important symbol in the book is the conch. The conch symbolizes law, order, and government. The blow of the conch is what brought the boys together right after the crash when Piggy says, "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting" (Golding 16). The conch is seen as a tool to call meetings and set up rules, or in other words, government. The conch keeps order in the group of boys from the beginning, for it is used to calm/silence the boys or to call important meetings. The conch is a symbol that remains constant through the book, until it broken during the murder of Roger. After the conch is destroyed, all signs of civilization disappear and total chaos/savagery take over the island. In turn, the conch shows a sense of law and civilization.
Response to Nyesha D.:
The hunters are a very complex symbol. The soldiers follow and are in a way manipulated to follow Jack and his orders. They were part of the brutal murders of the pigs, which in turn shows their inhumane ways. Just as the soldiers of Hitler were manipulated to torture and kill, the boys were manipulated to torture and kill by Jack. The hunters are another symbol of the true brutality of man's heart.
My Question:
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses many symbols. Discuss how the huts are a symbol. Keep in mind who built them and how fragile they were. Could their fragility be a symbol? Explain.
As it says in the game a symbol is a something concrete that is used to represnt another thing or idea that will help in the development of the story.Golding used several symbols in the story.The conch shell represents government on the island.Whoever holds the conch had the right to speak.the fire represented hope and rescue.They believed that they could be rescued if a ship that is nearby caught a glimpse of the smoke made by the fire.Piggy's glasses represented the power of science and reasoning.They had to use Piggy's glasses to light the fire. after the glasses were broken by Jack and his group,everything started to get destroyed, even the whole island was destroyed.In the LOFT game it says that the parachutist was a symbol of adult supervisation.Also,in the book the parachute is described as a sign that "came down from the world of grownups.."(Golding 95).The beast represents evil and savagery. as the fear of the beast increased in the boys' mind, their savagery also increased.The names given to the characters is also symbolic.As it says in the game, Ralph means "councel", and Ralph was their chosen leader of their councel.
To answer Febin C.'s question:
Symbolism is really important in LOFT, because it helps us to feel that the story is really connected to the real world.for example,the fire represents hope and rescue. this makes us feel connected to the real world because, hope and rescue is something that is really important to everyone.this makes us feel that the boys in the novel have the same nature as us.so, symbolism helps us understand the novel in a greater depth as it makes us feel connected to the characters.
my question:
Do you think that the shape of the society depends on the ethical nature of human beings and not on any political system?
Symbols are a way of showing meaning behind the curtain of the literal meaning. With both novels and short stories, symbols emphasize the importance of every element, display and explain important, tacit changes, and shine light on important details we would not have noticed before.
The shell in Lord of the Flies represented order because of the structure it enabled the kids to have. Ralph would blow it to “call the others” to “have a meeting”, and a child would “hold it when he’s speaking” (Golding 16, 33). When the shell is broken, it represents the now final absence of order among the boys.
The signal fire represented hope and rescue. It was a constant thought to the boys and no matter what happened, someone needed to be tending to it if they wanted to be rescued. Their “only hope” of going back home was to keep ‘the signal fire going” (Golding 178).
The island represented isolation because of the lack of other people or adults than themselves. On the island, the boys saw “no houses, no smoke, no footprints, no boats, [and] no people” (Golding 32). It is here they realize their isolation and that they really are, for the first time in their lives, on their own.
The Lord of the Flies represented chaos and evil because of the reason it was created, and what it said to Simon. After a brutal and evil-inspired killing of a sow, her head was shoved on a stick to give “the beast […] a gift” (Golding 137). Then later, when talking to Simon, it claimed it was “the beast” while belittling him and admitting that it is “the reason why [things are] no go”, and that this beast is a “part of you” and a part of everyone else (Golding 143).
The parachutist is the symbol of adult supervision because of what it reminded the boys. It was “a sign […] from the world of grown-ups” to the boys that there was still life out there even though they had no proof of it because of their isolation (Golding 95).
In response to Jane’s question, I think a book with out religious allegories would make some things not as significant and make some of the events and dialog unexplainable. Such as when Simon was talking to the Lord of the Flies and it tells Simon that he will “only meet [him] down there” (Golding 143). This is referring to when Jesus rescued the people from Hell that didn’t have an opportunity to go to heaven after he died on the cross. Thus, it is calling the Lord of the Flies the devil. Furthermore, without religious allegories the Lord of the Flies would not have that name, since its origin is from the prince of the devils “Beezlebub”.
My question: Do you think Golding’s naming of the characters was to make them relatable and “the common man”, or were their origins intentional? Why?
Symbolism is to show you to look deeper into things and not just take them for what it on paper. Symbolism is obviously a key component in making this book what it is. There are so many different ways to look at this book it's hard to just pick a few symbols. To me, the most obvious symbol was the conch shell, which gave the only for of order and government for the entire island. The island represents something so beautiful and luxurious from the outside point of view but once you are actually on the island it engulfs you with an evil essence. So in theory, it's beautiful on the outside and evil and impure on the "inside". Another symbol would be the fire, which gave all the boys the only sense of hope they ever had while there. When the fire is lit, it gives you that little bit of reassurance that maybe someone will see the smoke and come rescue you. It is better than not having anything at all. One of the most, if not the most, important symbols is the Lord of the Flies itself. It represents so much more than one thing, like the devil, the beast to some extent, and just pure evil. It is the source of all things gone bad in the book, or that's what the boys think anyway.
To answer Alyssa T's question, I think William Golding used white as a sign of death because if you think about it, white is a faded color. When things fade away, they go to white. So for him to use white was actually a very smart move on his part because it shows he was thinking ahead and deeper.
My question is, What would you have done in Ralph's situation? Include the symbols associated with Ralph.
Symbols always serve a significant amount of information which can depict theme and show the reader in depth analysis. The most recurring symbols were the conch, Piggy's glasses and the Lord of the Flies. The conch symbolizes power, law, harmony, and peace. Even though the island was full of chaos the conch did have a potential.
The Lord of the Flies is tremendously important simply because that is one the reasons for the theme "that man is inherently evil". The Lord of the Flies gives us a perspective and tells us that no matter your status and luxuries, that the human heart can consist of tidbits of evil. "You knew didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close!" (Golding 164) As the book progresses, we can identify the extreme role that Simon plays in the book. Though Simon isn't much of a vivid character, he is important to the structure of the novel.
Piggy's glasses are important they signify the intellectual and adult supervision that is desperately needed among the boys. Without Piggy, ALL the boys would turn savage and the chance of hope would be even slimmer.
Answer to Kenneth G: The Symbolism played a huge part simply because symbolism built this novels theme. If we looked at the symbols like the conch, glasses, Lord of the Flies, and Simon. They all brought forth that "man is inherently evil".
My Question: How do you think Golding's life helped him write this book?
The purpose of symbols in this book "Lord of the Flies" is to stand for things.the definition of a symbol is to stand for something by using picture or other means. Examples of symbols lie all around this novel. for example, fire represented the hope of being rescued. The conch represents the law and order(LOTF game) on the island. The children believed that without the conch things would not be organized and things would go into havoc. When indeed they had already gone into havoc and the conch couldn't do anything to stop that. There were alot of symbols used in this book that got the book to progress and further the readers.
The purpose of symbols in The Lord of the Flies is to go deeper into the meaning subject, to look at it in a different point of view. The Conch was symbolized as a form of government because every time he blew it, it was a sign to everyone for a meeting, "We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that's a meeting."(Golding 42)Ralph demonstrates the building of organization just like a government.
Jack symbolized the dictator, Hitler. When he went against Ralph, all he wanted to do was take over and take away all his people. "But now I'm going to get more of the biguns away from the conch and all that. We'll kill a pig and give a feast."(Golding 133) Jack wants to tempt the biguns in joining his group by supplying meat to all of them.
The pig on the stick, "Lord of the Flies", resembled the devil. It spoke to Simon in a manner that tried to make him feel guilty and useless. "There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast."(Golding 143) Lord of the Flies tried to convert Simon to do evil.
Symbols are an important part of a book, they help you understand the story better, to see it in a different perspective. What would the sea and the flies symbolize in this story? desire? hope?...
In the book, Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbols to back represent the different ideas that run throughout the book by using concrete objects and characters. A few of the big symbols that are in the book is the fire, Ralph’s hair, and the conch.
The fire is used in several ways in Lord of the Flies. From the very beginning of the novel, Ralph is determined to keep a signal fire going, in case a ship passes near to the island. "'there's only one thing we can do to get out of this mess.'" (Golding 149) and the fire instantly becomes a symbol, ironically, of both the hope of rescue and of destruction. As luck would have it, it is because of a fire that Jack lights at the end of the novel (destruction), in his attempt to hunt and kill Ralph, that the boys were rescued.
Ralph’s hair was a symbol for his growing savagery. His hair eventually has a life of its own. The story always makes a point of telling us that it’s in Ralph’s face, and it clearly is starting to annoy him. It is brought to the attention of the reader that Ralph’s fair hair would be important because that’s the first thing described in the book. “The boy with fair hair lowered himself down…” (Golding 7). It also reminds us that the boys have been on the island for quite a while now. The way Ralph’s hair grow symbolizes the never ending violence that occur on the island.
The conch is used in many scenes in Lord of the Flies to call the boys to order. No boy may speak unless he is holding the conch and once he is holding it, he cannot be interrupted. They boys first came up with the rule to establish a form of government on the island. The conch is how Ralph “call the others...to have a meeting" (Golding 16).After “the conch exploded into a thousand pieces…” (Golding 181), Jack runs forward screaming that now he can be chief. The reason he can do this now is that now there is no driving force that keeps peace. When the conch was intact, it had a silent hold on Jack and he wasn’t able to be the savage chief he desperately wanted to be.
To answer Marvin M’s question, the novel can be related to everyday life through the many dictatorships that still have control over many countries. Each dictator is power hungry, and it’s never enough. Jack, in the novel, had control over the choir boys but it wasn’t enough because it still wasn’t control every boy. Jack showed dictator like qualities through his love for bloodshed, and his hunger for absolute power. In the end when Piggy was dead, and the conch was gone, the only thing that was stopping him from absolute power was Ralph; and Jack would do anything to get rid of him.
My question is: How does fear play a major role in LOTF? What are the effects of fear on the boys as the story progresses? Is there any one symbol that represents fear alone?
In the Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the use of symbols is to represent ideas and emotions as well as literal meaning beyond itself. The way symbolism was used during Lord of the Flies was mainly to emphasize the different criterias and things that occured on the island to the central theme of the story that man's inhumanity is constant and has no end.There were many symbols in the novel but important stuff began at the beginning of the story, where Ralph and Piggy are introduced as characters lost on an island. They eventually find a conch that was pink and slowly lost its color. The conch represented the attempted law and order that was trying to be established by Ralph. It was the "[thing] to hold when [someone] was talking" (Golding 53) When it was finally destroyed, its other meaning was the end of the government as well as the death to logic and senses. Another point in the story where symbolism was used was for piggys's glasses. It represented the struggle for power among both tribes that formed betweeen Ralph and Jack. The glasses gave advantage to both sides because with it, since a fire could be created and it would "keep the fire going" as well. (Golding 70). Another main form of symbolism was portrayed in the killing of the sow. . It represented the loss of innocence the boys once had when they first arrived in the island. They "outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it and its life taken away like a long satisfying drink." (Golding 70). The boys had no remorse or attitude toward the animal but the idea that there's no choice over this and it is a necessity for survival on the island.
In response to Alfreds questions, i think that we can never let go of our inhumanities because in life, there will always be people better than us, from appearance to social status to even currency-wise. Humans were never equal to begin with and may never be but that doesn't mean we cant try and live life like it. We will not always be "bad" in a way but were all capable of doing wrong faster than we can do the right thing.
My Question is : Do you think the inhumanities and symbolism of power is dominant in our society today? Have we become a nation of hostility or friendliness and if so explain.
The purpose of the symbols in Lord of the Flies help create the theme of the story. They "are concrete and represent another thing or idea" (LOTF game). The theme is that there is an obligatory inner malice in all human beings.
One of the main symbols of the story is the island, it represents the isolation of the boys,it is also seen as the "Garden of Eden", or "Hell on Earth." In the beginning of the story it's the most beautiful place that the boys have ever seen the,"dazzling beach and water" amazes them completely and they are indulged in what the island provides for them (Golding 10). After some extent the boys even agree on “This is our island. It’s a good island [...]we’ll have fun.” (Golding 35). Since there are no adults on the island the boys take full advantage and do whatever pleases them. As they progress throughout life on the island they begin to see how the island represents hell. The boys are becomin crazier over meat and they're killing one another.
Fire is another symbol on the island. It represents the hope that the boys have for beingg rescued off the island. After the first signal fire doesnt work at all Ralph questions Jack,"Just an ordinary fire[...]Just a smoke signal so we can be rescued[...] Ships may be passing" (Golding 196). This shows how Ralph was desperate to get a ship to rescue them off the island and he begins to see how he is losing control over the boys.
To answer Nicki J's question: I think Golding's life did help him write the book otherwise where else would he have got the religious perspective from? He was a religious person but he didnt go to church. He also knows how Worl War II was and how kids were sent off and what might have happened to them on the way.
My question is: What are some other things that Golding uses to convey the theme, what other ways does he use symbolism?
In both short stories and novels, “a symbol is something concrete that [is] used to represent [a greater] thing or idea” (LOTF Game). In Lord of the Flies William Golding uses the names of his characters, as well as items they used everyday as symbols, Golding uses his symbols to bring depth and highlight important factors to support his theme. For example, the name Ralph is “derived from the Anglo-Saxon language and means counsel” (LOTF Game) so ideally Golding gave this particular character his name because he was the natural leader and counselor of the group. This would later be important as the tribes split, because a reader could confuse Jack as being the natural leader, however by examining his name they would understand that is not so because Jack means, “one who supplants”(LOTF Game). Other symbols in the book are more concrete such as the painted faces of Jacks tribe. In the later part of the novel, Ralph is upset and demands to go speak to Jack’s tribe to get Piggy’s glasses back, But Sam warns him that Jack and his tribe will have painted faces so ,” he knows how they’ll be”, implying that when they put on their paint they become savage animals. As a result the painted faces is a symbol for the boys decent into ferocity, because before the paint they couldn’t hide so Jack and his tribe tried to act proper, but once they put the paint on they no longer cared how other viewed them and acted like animals (Golding 171).
In Response to Laura B: The names Golding gave his characters were absolutely intentional. He gave each character a name that best suited what that character was like or what he stood for. For example, the name Roger comes from “Germanic origin, meaning spear” (LOTF Game). Not coincidentally, Roger was a natural killer who enjoyed hunting with things as primitive as spears because he himself was a primitive character who lived his life with no morality and didn’t care how savage he was, because he was a sick person. Again, his name suits him and only him, because it wouldn’t make sense for Golding to name him Adonis, which come from Greek origin and means Lord, because it would completely contradict what Ralph represented.
My Question: Right before Piggy dies, the conch “exploded into a thousand tiny white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). What does this say about their connection? Could Piggy not exist without the conch? Or was the conch merely an object representing Piggy, thus if it died so did Piggy? Explain you opinion.
Symbolism is used as a kind of leeway for the reader in what they are reading; symbolism can be interpreted in many ways, so the reader will interpret the symbol in the way that seems most natural or likely to them. This helps the reader to understand what is happening in the novel, thus gaining a farther insight and a more in depth knowledge of the work being read.
One of the symbols in LOTF is Piggy’s specs, and how they are used by different people based on their personalities: Ralph used Piggy’s spec’s to start a “signal fire,” showing that he is a more practical person who plans for the future (Golding 125). Piggy used his specs to see things around him and to read, which shows he is dependant and logical. Jack used Piggy’s specs to make “a cooking fire” for his kills, showing he is aggressive and savage (Golding 178).
In response to Christina Zamora:
I do think many of the symbols represent aspects of Goldin’s life. For example: The conch, or source of government, losing power over time probably displays what he felt as he continued in the war for so long and was a part of D-Day. He probably felt lost and alone, just as Ralph did without his conch.
My Question:
Golding’s novel was said to be very well planned out as far as symbols go. Do you think there were symbols added that he didn’t realize at the time? Explain.
Symbols are important in Lord of the Flies because they represent a something that you may not physically be able to see. For example, the conch, represented Law and Order, and whoever had it would be heard and respected. "Then I'll give him the conch. Conch? That's what this shell's called. I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking." (Golding 33) There were other things like the fire which was hope and protection. "Oh, yes. So we've got to make smoke; and more smoke-" (GOlding 163) Piggy's specs represent power and "What'll we use to light the fire?' 'We'll take fire from the others." (Golding 161). This is showing how they need Piggy's specs to make a fire to survive. These are just a few of the symbols within Lord of the Flies.
Symbolism, and likewise motifs, are things in the novel/story that are used in representation of something deeper and more meaningful in connotation and denotation and usually are very effective in theme conveyance and telling a story within a story (AKA allegories). A symbol can be a character, any object, or even just a phrase of words.
In LOTF, there are example of all these symbols, such as Piggy's namesake. Piggy is the symbol of intelligence, but likewise his name " can be associated with the wild pigs that are hunted on the island"(LOTF online game). this is important because we see see that the killing of Piggy and the pigs is directly related to the theme of man's inhumanity towards man is constant. and the fact that piggy is the symbol of intelligence and adult world, it shows how in the face of savagery that intelligence and control are under intense derision, as wee in the novel. Another character symbol we see is Roger, whose name is "Germanic in origin and means 'spear'"(LOTF online game), which is also somewhat ironic because we see that his personality is somewhat 'spear-like' in that he bullies people around and he is typically what we could call the sociopath in our society today. He is also involved with the death of Piggy. we see that roger also "[prods] with his spear whenever pigflesh [appears]" and mutilates a pig just like he kills Piggy. (Golding 135)
An object that is symbolized throughout LOTF is the conch, which is the symbol of government. when the boys first crash upon the island and begin to gather their senses, the conch signals them to a meeting, which could be the ezuivalent of a government affair or meeting to discuss politics. we also see that the conch controls who has the right to speak, so saying "I got the conch" was a way of saying i have power, as wee see in government today. (Golding 44)
Basically, symbolism is used in LOTF to tell multiple stories within the plot itself(AKA allegories), and to link a symbiosis of characters, events, actions, and objects to convey themes in the novel.
In response to Rachel S.- the conch and piggy werent really connected altogether. the shattering of the conch would represent that all government and control had been completely banished, because the conch symbolized government as it called meetings, stated who could talk ,etc., while the death of piggy relates to the theme of man's inhumanity to man. yes, one could easily exist without the other, but if the conch didn't exist then even less of piggy's intelligence would be absorbed by the rest of the islanders.
My Question: what do you think the mountain on the island symbolized? think about how it is the place were the "beast" landed, where the first signal fire started, etc.
The purpose of the symbols serve in the Lord of the Flies is many different things. The conch represented "law and order" without the conch there would be nothing to make anyone feel as if they are in charge. Without the conch, in their meetings it would be feeled with caos, the conch told them when to talk and when not to talk. The conch also told them when there would be a meeting. one of the example is "By the time Raplh finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded"(Golding 28). Piggy's glasses was a symbol of logic and intellect. Piggy's glasses was used to start fires, and without fire people lost hope of going home. An example "We're on an island. We've been on the mountain top and seen water all rounf. We saw no houses, no smoke, no footprints, no boats, no people. We're on an uninhabited island with no other people on it." (Golding 28). The theme that boys are inherently evil is shown through out the book. For example when the boys kill the pig, they get happy and laugh their big accomplishment. The boys also murder Piggy and mock him, along with Ralphs tribe. The boys really show their evil side when they make up a song to go and hunt the pigs. They sung "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!"(Golding 141). These are some of the symbols that shows how the symbols serve in the novel or short story.
The answer to Briaunna C.question is: If Golding would not have wrote the book so much based on his life then I do believe that the book would differ alot. Golding would probaly not have been able to have gotten the book published.
My question: Do you believe that if Golding did not go to War or teach and all boys school that it would change anything?
Yes,I do. I think this because he would not be able to have the know-how to write the book. In other words, If he did not go to war and teach boys he would not have been in the situation that he was in.
My Question: Analyze what you think would the most important symbol that Willam Golding would have wanted you to see/notice & understand. Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
Authors use symbols for a myriad of things in their writing like expressing a theme or an idea more clearly.Symbols are a particularly effective tool for this because they can portray the theme as a tangible object.
In LOTF Golding uses symbols to represent many diverse ideas such as law and order . The conch represented law and order because the one who had it had the authority to talk , while the others had to listen." I got the conch! Just you listen!"(Golding 50) This was effective in controlling the boys , for a time, which allowed them to pick a chief, make the fire, and build some shelters.As the boys journeyed further into their savagery, they began to dishonor the rules of the conch until it ultimately broke , which symbolized the end of any type of order or law on the island.
To answer Chiara L. question:
I believe that this book would be completely different or not exist if Golding did not go to war or teach since those are some of the most important causes for him to write this book
My question:
Why did the symbolism used in this book only portray negative aspects of the human being?
Symbols are used to show a deeper and more insightful meaning on the book. They help to convey the theme of a novel / short story and send a more meaningful message to the reader.
A symbol in LOTF is the Lord of the Flies. The Lord of the Flies symbolizes the inner evil that every person has. When he speaks to Simon, he threatens Simon and tells him "You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? (Golding 164). The Lord of the Flies is telling Simon that everyone has a beast inside of them, it's just that most people are able to control it.
Another symbol in LOTF is fire. It symbolizes hope and rescue. Knowing that they have something that could eventually get them off the island is just enough to keep them going. They know that "there's only one thing we can do to get out of this mess," so they begin to make the signal fire (Golding 56). Fire eventually leads to the rescue of the boys, as the officers "saw [the boys'] smoke" (Golding 253).
The conch symbolizes law and order. It is used to call all the boys together to have a meeting. It keeps everything in order, best summarized when Piggy states "If you don't blow, we'll soon be animals anyway" (Golding 102).
In reponse to Briaunna C:
I think it would be very different. There would be no killing of pigs, I think he would have used different animals because the Jews were called swine, which was another word for pig. Since Golding witnessed so much death during his life, there probably would have been less killing and the boys wouldn't have been as evil.
my question: How did Jack use the boys' fear of the beast to control his tribe?
In novels, a symbol "is something concrete that represents another idea or thing..." (Lord of the Flies game). William Golding uses actual things like the pigs head on a stick and the fire to represent greater ideas.
"'There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast.'
Simon’s mouth labored, brought forth audible words.
'Pig’s head on a stick.'” (Golding 143)
Roger and Jack plant a sow's head on top of a stick in the clearing, but the pig's head symbolizes much more than just a rotting piece of meat. It represents Satan, the devil, the beast, the presence that's caused all the evil and disorder on the island, "'the reason why it’s no go.'" (Golding 143).
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the fire to represent a greater idea. “'Ralph’s told you often enough,' said Piggy moodily. 'How else are we
going to be rescued?'
'Of course! If we don’t make smoke...'" (Golding 163). The fire represents the hope of rescue in Lord of the Flies, because without it there's no chance of the boys being found by the outside world.
To answer Bon's question: symbolism within Lord of the Flies did not always represent the negative aspects of the boys: the fire, the glasses, and the conch represented the hope of rescue, intelligence, and government, respectively. But all the good symbols ended up either being broken (glasses and conch) or just getting out of control (fire). The other symbols in the book, like the masks and pig's head on a stick, did tend to represent evil things about the boys because the theme of William Golding's novel was that man's inhumanity towards man is constant.
Question: What did the parachutist represent? Use textual evidence as well as your own commentary.
Symbolds are a way for a writer to have a message beyond the literal meaning of the text that conveyes theme. Sometimes symbols are purposely done and chosen by the author, while others are discovered after the fact. After reading LOTF, I'm pretty sure that William Golding knew what his symbols were and what they represented before he even began writing. The conch, found by Ralph in the beggining of the novel, represented a form of goverment and organization on the island [ " 'I got the conch!' said Piggy indignatly. 'Ralp-they ought to shut up...' " (Golding 83)]. In the end, when Piggy is killed and the conch is broken, it displays that the goverment and rule on the island has been destroyed, leaving them all in savage and rebellion. The fire, made by the boys to attract a ship to the island, represents hope and rescue. The fire was said to be "the one thing [they] could do to get out of this mess". It was also a chance for survival. Symbols don't just have to be objects or things; they can be people or color too. As we discussed in class, black, green, red, pink, and white are all symbols in the novel. Also, each character plays a symbolic roll.
To answer Neyesha's question (Can the hunters be a symbol? Explain.): Yes they can and are. They symbolize the slow turn to savegery that the island brings the boys to, as well as convey the ultamite theme of the novel: man is inherently evil.
My question: What do you believe was the most important symbol in Lord of the Flies and why? Use textual evidence to support this symbol.
Throughout our whole writing careers, we know that symbols are a big part or writing stories and also reading them. The purpose of symbols in short stories and novels are, in my opinion, to connect aspects of the book to real life. For instance in LOTF we know that the conch represented law and order and structure throughout the whole island. Ralph tells the group that the conch is "what the shell's called' and that he would "give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking" (Golding 33) With that, Ralph wanted to declare that whoever was holding the conch, had all the right to talk. Whenever the conch was blown on the island, it was known that there was a meeting taking place. The conch was the one thing all the boys depended on. Another huge symbol in the book was piggy's glasses. His glasses represented the reasoning on the island. When Jack's tribe steals his glasses away, in a way Piggy is somewhat "blind". He asks Ralph "What am I going to do?", meaning how can he be the brains and reasoning of the island if he doesn't have his glasses (Golding 169). The last symbol I'll mention is Piggy's name. From the very beginning he clearly stated to Ralph that he could be called anything BUT Piggy, which ended up being his given name on the island. When Jack takes a jab at him and calls him "fatty" Ralph interjects and says "He's not fatty, his real name's Piggy!" (Golding 21). His name can symbolize to the pigs that were slaughtered and killed on the island. In truth, we all know, Jack wanted Piggy dead. Which is why his name was so symbolic, because he ended up dying tragically in the end.
To answer Janey's question, there might have been SOME tiny symbols throughout the book that Golding didn't fully realize he was putting in there. But for the most part we know that he went into writing LOTF knowing all the symbols he wanted to use. Being a teacher for so many years opened up doors to his writing, which, in turn, made the symbols in his book so powerful and easy to connect to things in real life.
My question is: How do you think the short stories and novels would change, if we never learned how important symbolism was? For example, if we never knew that piggy's glasses represented intelligence of the fire represented hope and rescue. Explain.
The game and all the in class discussions that we have had really helped with comprehending the symbols in LOTF and their meanings. A lof of different objects were used as symbols in the book but all of them really fell into 6 categories. Human civilization or as used in the game as "law and order" was represented by things such as the conch. In LOTF the conch was used to call all the boys to attention. It was just about the only thing that the boys abided by and the only reason they did was because it represented something that they had been doing all their lives. It was almost second nature for the boys on the island to follow the conch and what it stoof for. As it was kind of made obvious in the game, the fire represented rescue and hope. Ralph had a strong belief that the fire would let the outside world know where they were. His strong belief that it would was what made the evil come out. Throughout the story, jsut about every want and strong belief in something is what made the evil sprang out of all of the boys. For example, Jack's want for hunting is what triggered the evil in him to rise so quickly. There were a lot of symbols in the novel and Golding made sure that he used more than enough things to ensure that a good reader would know what they represented. To answer Melody S's question, I don't think that fear played a big role in the book. If anything it only played on the littuns and that was only in the night. The boys realized that they didn't have anything to fear because their greatest fear was being repremanded and having to deal with the consequences of doing something wrong but when the fact that there were no grown ups on the island sunk into their minds, they really didn't have any more fear.
My question is: Do you feel sorry for the littuns, thinking about how they would live the rest of their lives after being rescued.
The many symbols that the author, William Golding used in the book are meant to represent a point, or to clarify a very important subject. like piggy's glasses, piggy saw them as a material object, but the glasses really stood for power. whoever had the glasses had power and control over the boys, jack saw piggy as a threat partially because of this. Other things like the conch which stood for "law and order" and the fire which stood for "hope and rescue". the symbols in this stoy are somewhat clear and the readers that do connect the symbols usually end up having a better perception of what the author was trying to say with this novel.
to answer Christina Z's question, "Do any of the symbols from the novel, Lord of the Flies, repersent aspects of Goldings life? Explain"
Golding wrote this book almost entirely out of life experience, he pulled from his experiences in the war and his teaching experiences. all the information in this book is connected in one way or another to Golding's life.
My question is: How different do you think this story would have been, if Golding hadn't put as much thought into the symbols he used?pardsem
Daniel Prieto period5: Symbols in all stories server a great purpose in all stories, its lets you see that ordinary things that the characters use have a deeper purpose. In LOTF symbolism is very important and how the object that represent those symbols changes, for example, the conch, in the beginning of the novel, is bright pink along with the platform that they all originally gathered on showing us order and law near the end of the book the conch fades to white and eventually shatters. objects are not the only things that can be symbols colors and actions may represent something as well, when the kill the mother sow that entire event showed how they started off as school boys to savage killers.
I'm responding to Rachel S.'s question:Right before Piggy dies, the conch “exploded into a thousand tiny white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). What does this say about their connection? Could Piggy not exist without the conch? Or was the conch merely an object representing Piggy, thus if it died so did Piggy? Explain you opinion.
Piggy in the novel mainly represented civilization and the intelectual side of people, he wanted to make a group and know everyone, the first one to want an organized tribe. The conch symbolized organized government or law and order, the things that Piggy wanted. When he died with the conch it showed that all hope for a civilization was gone and “exploded into a thousand tiny white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). The connection is that Piggy wanted the conch because that is all he had that he could hold on to from back home, the order that the conch provided at first is what he wanted. The conch and Piggy where not one being but two seperately intertwined symbols that co-existed hand in hand.
My question is this:What did the fact that Piggy lost his glasses and how he lost them mean?
I think symbols are very useful because authors can explain and show what they want through different symbols. I think the ocean symbolized peace in different ways in the book. Like when Simon died, the ocean carried him away and let him float slowly and peacefully. I also think that the Lord of the Flies symbolized evil because it was scary looking and flies kept surrounding the head, which meant this is a sign of evil because flies only show up to either dead things or smelly things.
I answered Nyesha D. question. Yes i do think hunters are a symbol because they were one of the most important characters. They symbolized survival because they were the ones that were able to support the rest of the group with food.
Question: Do you think the story would have been more or less interesting if the major symbols in the story were taken out?
The symbols used in LOTF, like the pigs head, glasses, island, fire, conch and the parachutist, were used to convey the theme of inhumanity and also represent certain characters. The symbols that represented ego and superego was the conch. The conch represented civilization and the adultworld (ego) yet because of such power as speech and authority because those who didn't have the conch, "ought to shut up" (Golding 83) led to revolt and, as the conch was destroyed, the death of the adult figure Piggy. This shows the greed for the power of the conch, even though insignificant it was to the hunters, and the uter hatred they had for Piggy for basically being alive to speek words of common sence. Another symbol was the island itself. In my opinion the island was the lead factor for the inhumanity and savagery seen on this isolated paradise. But then who could blame them, this was a place that they could only dream about until that day. This led to the reason why super ego and ego was set aside in their minds so that id could take control and summon the ugly beasts of humans. Symbols of this book not only represent motifs and convey the overall theme of inhumanity; they are the temptations and reasons for the inhumanity.
Answer to Catlin D......
If we could not identify the symbolism in this book then we would use something else like diction, imagery, or sentence structure. Although i dont think we would be where we are today if we could not identify the imagery in this book.
Question:
Would the boys still show the same savageness if they werent isolated on a tropical island (lost in dense forest, unknown desert, etc.)?
The purpose of symbols in novels or short stories is to create a deeper meaning for the reader. When a story is about objects and events, it's just a story. When the objects and events symbolize something greater than what is directly identified, the story becomes stronger in theme and the overall message the author is trying to portray in the story. Symbols also help the reader to look closer into diction and other elements in order to expand the appearance of the obvious exterior and identify with its hidden interior. Three of the most important, and most obvious, symbols in "Lord of the Flies" is the conch shell, Piggy's glasses, and the signal fire. From the very beginning of the novel the reader can identify the conch for what it symbolizes, power, as well as, law and order when Golding writes, "They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority..." (Golding 59). The power symbol is recognizable as the boys obey Ralph's call simply from the blow of the conch. Ralph means it to create order amongst the chaos of so many boys but his possession of it unknowingly gives him more rule over the others. As the story continues, though, the boys begin to realize the power of the conch as it is the object that must be in possession in order to speak. Because of this, the order that was once established through the conch's summons begins to crumble as it's system of talking one at a time begins to be disobeyed. The next symbol, Piggy's glasses, can be understood to symbolize intelligence and logic as Piggy was one of the few boys to mention rules and knowledge he was taught back home from adults and attempts to incorporate them into the survival. He often speak of his Auntie and the things she used to teach him, but his unaccepted by the other boys due to his overweight physicality. His glasses are later destroyed when Piggy dies from being crushed by a rock which represents the demise of logic and ultimate descent into savagery. His glasses incorporate into the third major symbol, the signal fire. The logic comes into play as the boys realize the lens of the glasses will help to create a signal fire in order to be rescued, "Just a smoke signal so we can be rescued. Are we savages or what? Only now there's no signal going up. Ships may be passing" (Golding 196). The fire symbolizes the little hope that boys have on the island. When the glasses are destroyed- no fire can be produced, logic and reasoning are crushed, true hope is lost, and chaos from growing inhumanity quickly ensues.
To answer Jessica S.'s question: Yes, I do believe Golding's decision in setting the story in the future implies that he believes a third world war is inevitable. A major theme throughout the novel is man's inherent evil towards man, therefore, if man can not control his or her indecency towards one another, major revolutions will continue to occur. Conflict will never be resolved if man is practically born with selfish desires for power and Golding wants the reader to understand this by showing how the future can seem so much like the present.
My question is: If you could make any changes to the novel, what symbols would you add, change, or eliminate, and why?
Authors uses symbols to display subliminal moral messages within their texts. Which, if used successfully, can expose the reader to the true wonders behind the symbols and apply them to aspects of the readers daily life. The conch shell was the predominant symbol for the structure and fall of government on Golding's tainted paradise. When it was discovered, Ralph ordained that whoever held this precious talisman retained "the right to speak" their minds uninterrupted by the masses (Golding 45). Such an adherence to listen to the possessor of the conch reveals how the conch's brilliance illuminates the importance and intellect of whomever is speaking; similar to how a court judge's gavel, though tiny, gives him absolute power over the potential convicts brought before him. The conch's destruction progressive bleaching, on the other hand, symbolized the deterioration of governments hold on the chaotic state of the island and utimaltly the death obliteration of common sense. With the bleaching, the conch represented how the children's inevitable descent into savagery slowly but surely drained the life out of the kids as they became more uncivilized; while the conch's devastating demolishment proves how man's animalistic urges would eventually dismantle the ways of orderly politics, making them as useless and paltry as "a thousand white fragments" of glass that were swept away by the night air (Golding 181).
In Response to Emmanuel A:
Yes. Though we as a nation might pride ourselves in being "the land of the free", America is far from being considered a completely humanitarian country without the lust for power. In fact, some could consider the US to be on of the most inhumane national entities on the face of the earth! Our government has leached off of other 3rd World countries for their natural resources while we sit back passing out worthless IOUs to the inhabitants of these countries and them assault the areas with the least amount of funds and might to due our nation harm as opposed to taking the battle where the threat actually resides. No, the US doesn't partake in torture or mass murder, but society does tend to back polices such as death penalties in certain states, and the inhuman treatment of inmates in Guantanamo Bay, for less than .5% of the world population deserve that type of treatment and ironically their the 1s still running free. We do however have many positive attributes that would make the US a candidate for a nation of friendliness, but our wrongs tend to either overshadow or taint the good that our country does do.
My Question:
Simon’s talk with the Lord of the Flies can be interpreted as an allegorical parallel to Christ’s descent into Hell. Construct a thesis on why Golding saw it necessary to make such biblical references within his book to express the theme of mans unceasing cruelty to man
Symbolism is a key factor to the novel, Lord of the Flies. Without the use of symbols, the main theme, without civilization man is inherently evil, would not be as apparent as it is. In a novel or short story, symbols give hints to the main theme or moral of the story. In the LOTF game, the symbols of the conch shell, the glasses, and the fire are revealed. The conch shell symbolizes law and order because it was a concrete object that represented a speaking power and a need for the boys to gather as one whole group. "'I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking.'" (Golding 33) At this point, Ralph is setting order on the island with the use of the conch as a speaking tool during gatherings. The glasses represent reason and logic because they were Piggy's prized possesion, and Piggy himself was the only boy who had reasoning and logic behind every idea he shared. "He took off his glasses and blinked at them...He proceeded to explain." (Golding 84) Here, the mentioning of Piggy's glasses in the middle of one of his many explanations hints to the fact that the glasses symbolize reason and logic on the island. The fire symbolizes hope and rescue because it was the only hope the boys had, especially Ralph, to get off the darned island and be rescued by a passing ship."'There's another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire.'" (Golding 38) This is where Ralph comes up with the idea to create a fire in the hopes of being rescued.
To answer Margaret H.'s question:
I think William Golding used Christianity as his religious allegory because it is one of the most well-known religions, if not, the most well-known religion in the world, in terms of its basic beliefs and stories,such as the story of Jesus Christ. Because so many people know the story of Jesus, Golding probably thought that it was the best story to make several allusions to, which is how Chrisitianity ended up as the novel's religious allegory.
My question is:
Do you think William Golding was smart in having Piggy constantly picking at his glasses in order to reveal its symbolism of reason and logic? What other ways would you have made that symbol more apparent?
In the novel Lord of the Flies, I think symbols represent another way to understand a subject. William Golding uses many symbols in his novel. One example of symbolism would be the conch. The conch symbolizes or "represents" government/law and order, and also civilization. The conch is their way to keep a society. Without the conch,later, everything falls apart into savagery."The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist." (Golding 181). Now with the conch gone, things turn chaotic. "I'm chief! Viciously, with full intention, he hurled his spear at Ralph." (Golding 181). This demonstrates the meaning of the conch, and what happens when it's destroyed. Another symbol Golding uses in his book is the color black. Black symbolizes evilness. "Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was blackness within, a blackness that spread." (Golding 144). This is an example of the evilness represented by blackness because the pigs head, was truly the devil speaking. Evilness is showed all throughout the novel til the very end saying "His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too." (Golding 202). The whole island was burning, just like hell. So in Lord of the Flies, Golding shows many examples of symbolism.
Response: To answer Marvin M.'s question, everyday life is actually just like this novel. Inhumanity to man is going on everyday, along with the evilness. We have people killing other people, raping other people, just all around insane just like William Golding demonstrates in his novel. The book is showing how truly evil mankind can be, and this is happening in everyday life as well.
Question:Do you think the sea represented life or death? Support your answer.
Symbols are an important part of all writing. In short stories and novels, Symbolism adds a deeper meaning to the text. Symbols can be intricate, forcing the reader to dig into the story to truly understand the theme. Symbols can also help clarify theme. They expand the meaning of a story and transform what would seem like a silly story about boys running around on an island to boys stuck on a living hell becoming in touch with their primal instincts and desire to kill.
A symbol used in Lord of the Flies is the conch, which represents government and order. The conch symbolizes power and leadership as well. When choosing a chief at the beginning of the book, the boys nominate Ralph known as the boy “with the shell” (Golding 22). Because Ralph is the one who calls the assembly and is holding it when the boys come together, they look up to him and see him as important. As government fades, so does the color of the shell and when it breaks, it is total chaos on the island.
Another symbol is Piggy’s glasses. They symbolize power on the island. Whoever has the glasses is who has the say of things on the island. When Jack steals the glasses, it shows that he is taking over and becoming the high power. They also symbolize reason in that they are used to start the signal fire that is supposed to attract the attention of passing ships. Without the glasses, there would be no fire. Without fire, there would have been no rescue and the boys would have stayed there forever.
In response to Christina Zamora’s Question:
The symbols in the novel definitely represent Golding’s life, especially while he was in WWII. He most likely felt every meaning behind the symbols in the second part of the game. Chaos and evil, isolation, hope and rescue, reason and logic, law and order, and adult supervision. He obviously felt chaos and evil in his life, otherwise he would not have had the base for writing the story. In war, people wonder if they will make it home safe and alive, they have to have hope. In order to survive, a soldier must exercise logic and follow all orders given by higher ranking officers. All of these war experiences tie into symbols in LOTF.
My Question:
What does Piggy’s sundial symbolize?
The symbols in a short story or novel are used to create an even deeper meaning to the story. Golding uses several symbols in LOTF to develop the theme that man is inherently evil. One of the first symbols Golding uses is the conch. The conch represents government or law because it brought order and authority to the group of boys who had no authoritave figure. When the conch was blown the boys gathered together, and whoever held the conch was given the right to speak without being interrupted. Towards the end of the book, Golding explains that "the conch exploded into a thousand whit fragments and ceased to exist" (Golding 181). This account symbolizes the complete loss of order among the boys. Another symbol Golding uses is Piggy's glasses. The boys use his glasses to start the fire. The glasses symbolize power. Whoever had the glasses had more power over the others.
Answer to Alex J's question: If the boys were isolated somewhere other than the island, I believe things would've been different ut eventually they would still turn savage.
Question: If Jack had been elected chief would the story turned out different?
Post a Comment