Lord of the Flies (LOTF) is an unusually violent coming-of-age novel written by William Golding, about a large group of british boys who are stranded on an island all by themselves after their plane is shot down, and are faced with the unthinkable. There are many theories as to what the core message of this novel truly is; some believe that LOTF is a metaphor for the horrors that Golding witnessed during his service in WWII(this is undoubtedly the most popular theory due to the total lack of girls); a declaration of nihilism; a metaphor for the garden of eden; or that it shows the true capacity for evil that lurks within the souls of men, and the rotting pig head represents our moral depravity.
I, on the other hand believe the theory that all of the character are allegories (or symbols). Ralph and Piggy together are civilization, Piggy by himself is intelligence (he also represents rationalism, but we’ll get back to that) and his glasses are technology: when the boys steal Piggy’s glasses rather than …show more content…
“I’m warning you. I’m going to get angry. D’you see? You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else-” - The Lord of the Flies (pg. 144) the LOTF is basically telling Simon that he has two choices; either become like the other “savage” boys(aka corrupting innocence), or die. While Jack is the unbridled savagery or the desire for power in men; we realize this right away as Jack strictly governs the choir boys, and almost right away once he realizes there are no authority figures he has to listen to, and then makes his first kill, sends him into a complete psychopath as he scours to obtain ultimate power over the island, and of course feed his bloodlust. The blind following of Jack represents social
I, on the other hand believe the theory that all of the character are allegories (or symbols). Ralph and Piggy together are civilization, Piggy by himself is intelligence (he also represents rationalism, but we’ll get back to that) and his glasses are technology: when the boys steal Piggy’s glasses rather than …show more content…
“I’m warning you. I’m going to get angry. D’you see? You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else-” - The Lord of the Flies (pg. 144) the LOTF is basically telling Simon that he has two choices; either become like the other “savage” boys(aka corrupting innocence), or die. While Jack is the unbridled savagery or the desire for power in men; we realize this right away as Jack strictly governs the choir boys, and almost right away once he realizes there are no authority figures he has to listen to, and then makes his first kill, sends him into a complete psychopath as he scours to obtain ultimate power over the island, and of course feed his bloodlust. The blind following of Jack represents social