The signal fire is the strongest symbol in Lord of the Flies because it represents two things: the only hope the boys have of being rescued and reunited to civilization, and the destruction that man can create; and, in a way, the fire can represent human nature. Throughout the book, Ralph’s chief focus is to keep a fire going, so that if a ship passes near the island, the ship would see the smoke and come and save the boys. The fire was the only thing that kept the boys in touch with the rest of society and acted as a reminder of their former civilized manner. Ralph was constantly reminding the group of boys that it’s the most important thing on the island. “If a ship comes near the island they might not see us. So we must make fire on top
…show more content…
“I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts - then you go off hunting and let out the fire” (Golding 77). Jack’s failure to keep a fire going resulted in a ship passing by and not seeing them. This disturbed Ralph which in turn aggravated Jack, who drew distant from Ralph’s leadership. The boys, after being stranded for some time, begin to convert to a different way of living and the fire is usually seen as burning low or not at all, showing how more and more boys no longer have the desire for rescue and favor a savage lifestyle. As more boys joined Jack’s tribe of hunters and “having fun,” few remain to keep the fire going, and eventually only Piggy is by Ralph’s side. The other boys see Jack as their leader now, who leads by violence and chaos. Jack’s tribe kills Piggy and destroys the conch, and at the end of the book, sets fire to the island when trying to hunt and kill Ralph. Ironically, it is that fire with the purpose of destruction that summons a ship for rescue. The fire at the beginning of the book represented the boys’ last hope and connection to civilization; and towards the end, it represented the destruction man can bring. William Golding intended the fire to represent human customs, such that both the fire and people have good qualities and bad qualities, and you can’t have one without the
“I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts - then you go off hunting and let out the fire” (Golding 77). Jack’s failure to keep a fire going resulted in a ship passing by and not seeing them. This disturbed Ralph which in turn aggravated Jack, who drew distant from Ralph’s leadership. The boys, after being stranded for some time, begin to convert to a different way of living and the fire is usually seen as burning low or not at all, showing how more and more boys no longer have the desire for rescue and favor a savage lifestyle. As more boys joined Jack’s tribe of hunters and “having fun,” few remain to keep the fire going, and eventually only Piggy is by Ralph’s side. The other boys see Jack as their leader now, who leads by violence and chaos. Jack’s tribe kills Piggy and destroys the conch, and at the end of the book, sets fire to the island when trying to hunt and kill Ralph. Ironically, it is that fire with the purpose of destruction that summons a ship for rescue. The fire at the beginning of the book represented the boys’ last hope and connection to civilization; and towards the end, it represented the destruction man can bring. William Golding intended the fire to represent human customs, such that both the fire and people have good qualities and bad qualities, and you can’t have one without the