William Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies during World War II. The plot of the novel is about a group of English boys who are stranded on a deserted island and their struggle to develop their own society which ultimately ends in a complete decent into savagery. This essay will discuss how Golding uses characters and symbolisms to explore the theme of civilization over savagery.
Throughout the novel William Golding uses his characters to explore one of his main ideas/themes being civilization versus savagery. Golding uses the conflict between the characters of Ralph and Jack to highlight the human impulse towards savagery against the rules of civilization which are designed to contain it. Ralph represents civilization and Jack represents savagery. As they both fight for authority over the group Golding makes it clear they both want to be the leader for very different reasons.
Golding makes it clear that Ralph wants authority to establish rules to protect …show more content…
The symbolism behind the conch shell is that it is a powerful symbol of democratic order on the island. It confirms Ralph’s leadership and the power of assembly among the group of boys. When assembled for a meeting whomever holds the conch shell has the power of speech and is to be listened to and respected. It is a symbol of civilization, order and power. As the conflict between Jack and Ralph increases Jack declares that the conch is meaningless and conch shell loses symbolic importance. Golding uses the destruction of the conch shell at the scene of Piggy’s murder to mark the end of civilization on the island. Another use of symbolism Golding used was the use of face paint by Jack symbolising his decent into savagery. The face paint frees him allowing him to kill freely without any shame. As detailed in the novel “the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (Chapter
Throughout the novel William Golding uses his characters to explore one of his main ideas/themes being civilization versus savagery. Golding uses the conflict between the characters of Ralph and Jack to highlight the human impulse towards savagery against the rules of civilization which are designed to contain it. Ralph represents civilization and Jack represents savagery. As they both fight for authority over the group Golding makes it clear they both want to be the leader for very different reasons.
Golding makes it clear that Ralph wants authority to establish rules to protect …show more content…
The symbolism behind the conch shell is that it is a powerful symbol of democratic order on the island. It confirms Ralph’s leadership and the power of assembly among the group of boys. When assembled for a meeting whomever holds the conch shell has the power of speech and is to be listened to and respected. It is a symbol of civilization, order and power. As the conflict between Jack and Ralph increases Jack declares that the conch is meaningless and conch shell loses symbolic importance. Golding uses the destruction of the conch shell at the scene of Piggy’s murder to mark the end of civilization on the island. Another use of symbolism Golding used was the use of face paint by Jack symbolising his decent into savagery. The face paint frees him allowing him to kill freely without any shame. As detailed in the novel “the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (Chapter