Hope In Lord Of The Flies Fire Symbolism Essay

The fire symbolizes hope and the “beastie” symbolizes fear which are both elements of either good or evil. The definition of hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. In Lord of the Flies, the fire represents the hope for rescue. For instance, in the book, the children say,”We must make a fire. A fire! Make a fire!” (30). Notice the children say they must make a fire indicating that it is the only chance of being rescued. Later, the chance of being rescued is within reach as a boat is near the island; Piggy says,”I can’t see no smoke. I can’t see no smoke, Ralph - where is it? Ralph - where’s the ship?”. Piggy realizes that there is a ship nearby, and his comment about the smoke is a prime example of how the group of children need the smoke if they want to be rescued or even noticed. …show more content…
How can we be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going?”(69) FIre is the only way to be rescued; the feeling that the fire can get them home and that they can achieve it is strong throughout the book. The definition of fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, and pain, whether the threat is real or imagined. The first time that fear appears in the novel is when the littluns try and make another boy say something about the “beastie.” One says,”Tell us about the snake-thing,” and the other says, ”Now he says it was a beastie.”(27) The one specific boy in this part was terrified of what he saw, whether it was a snake or a “beastie.” Everyone thought he was ridiculous in believing that there was a monster of sorts. So everyone, except for that boy, thought that the “beastie” was imaginary. However, that one boy believed that he was in real danger. Jack says, ”But if there was a snake, we’d hunt it and kill it.”(28) This is said during a conversation trying to insure that there was no