The Fight for What Is Right
Morals guide people throughout life and its challenging circumstances. People rely on their sense of morality to remain constant so that they can determine what is good and what is evil. However, the ever changing environment provides new circumstances that often conflict with a person’s seemingly unbreakable morals. The boys in Lord of the Flies by William Golding undergo traumatic experiences that put their morality to the test. In Lord of the Flies, the struggle of Ralph, Jack, the hunters, Piggy, and Simon to resist evil and remain good while on the deserted island proves how the novel is a moral allegory because their internal conflicts add another level to the story. Ralph’s struggle with morality and his …show more content…
In the beginning of the novel, “Ralph does not seek the leadership role; he is elected because he is older, somewhat larger, is attractive in personal appearance and, most strikingly, he possesses the conch shell” (Slayton). This powerful conch is a “symbol of order, democratic process, unity, and Ralph’s authority” (Campbell 483). The conch symbolizes Ralph’s power over the other boys on the island, and the possession of the conch is a major factor in Ralph’s election to chief. The role of chief demonstrates Ralph’s power, along with the uses of the conch, such as calling and directing assemblies. During one gathering, “Ralph took the conch from [Piggy] and looked round the circle of boys. ‘We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there...and if we have a signal going they’ll come and take us off. And another thing. We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting’” (34). Ralph’s confidence to make decisions for the group correlates with his ability to differentiate between good and evil. He knows that it would be good to have people maintain a signal fire and to enforce rules. Therefore, Ralph’s fear of the conch not working shows a lack of confidence in his power and his morals. A particular weak point in Ralph’s confidence is when Ralph refrains from blowing the conch because he knows that all order …show more content…
The condition of Simon’s place and the type of creatures that surround Simon alludes to the condition of Simon’s internal conscience. At first, Simon’s hiding place is symbolic for goodness. “[Simon] came at last to a place where more sunshine fell” (47). The place is fitting for Simon since he is the purest and most enlightened boy on the island. It is filled with only good elements, such as “gaudy” butterflies and sunshine, so Simon can escape into a peaceful place that assures him of what is good (47). The butterflies are symbolic of a peaceful conscience, or morality. “The sun, which should represent life and the power of reason, can also be blinding” ("Themes and Construction: Lord of the Flies). In contrast to the first time, the next time Simon visits his place “there was no avoiding the sun” (118). The sun at Simon’s hiding place transitions from representing goodness to foreshadowing evil events. The evil event that unfolds is when Jack and the hunters murder the pig on the sacred ground of Simon’s place. Jack and his group’s immoral act of killing the pig marks the transition of butterflies to flies. “The pile of guts was a black blob of flies that buzzed like a saw. After a while these flies found Simon” (123). The flies surrounding Simon symbolize his morality in
Morals guide people throughout life and its challenging circumstances. People rely on their sense of morality to remain constant so that they can determine what is good and what is evil. However, the ever changing environment provides new circumstances that often conflict with a person’s seemingly unbreakable morals. The boys in Lord of the Flies by William Golding undergo traumatic experiences that put their morality to the test. In Lord of the Flies, the struggle of Ralph, Jack, the hunters, Piggy, and Simon to resist evil and remain good while on the deserted island proves how the novel is a moral allegory because their internal conflicts add another level to the story. Ralph’s struggle with morality and his …show more content…
In the beginning of the novel, “Ralph does not seek the leadership role; he is elected because he is older, somewhat larger, is attractive in personal appearance and, most strikingly, he possesses the conch shell” (Slayton). This powerful conch is a “symbol of order, democratic process, unity, and Ralph’s authority” (Campbell 483). The conch symbolizes Ralph’s power over the other boys on the island, and the possession of the conch is a major factor in Ralph’s election to chief. The role of chief demonstrates Ralph’s power, along with the uses of the conch, such as calling and directing assemblies. During one gathering, “Ralph took the conch from [Piggy] and looked round the circle of boys. ‘We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there...and if we have a signal going they’ll come and take us off. And another thing. We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting’” (34). Ralph’s confidence to make decisions for the group correlates with his ability to differentiate between good and evil. He knows that it would be good to have people maintain a signal fire and to enforce rules. Therefore, Ralph’s fear of the conch not working shows a lack of confidence in his power and his morals. A particular weak point in Ralph’s confidence is when Ralph refrains from blowing the conch because he knows that all order …show more content…
The condition of Simon’s place and the type of creatures that surround Simon alludes to the condition of Simon’s internal conscience. At first, Simon’s hiding place is symbolic for goodness. “[Simon] came at last to a place where more sunshine fell” (47). The place is fitting for Simon since he is the purest and most enlightened boy on the island. It is filled with only good elements, such as “gaudy” butterflies and sunshine, so Simon can escape into a peaceful place that assures him of what is good (47). The butterflies are symbolic of a peaceful conscience, or morality. “The sun, which should represent life and the power of reason, can also be blinding” ("Themes and Construction: Lord of the Flies). In contrast to the first time, the next time Simon visits his place “there was no avoiding the sun” (118). The sun at Simon’s hiding place transitions from representing goodness to foreshadowing evil events. The evil event that unfolds is when Jack and the hunters murder the pig on the sacred ground of Simon’s place. Jack and his group’s immoral act of killing the pig marks the transition of butterflies to flies. “The pile of guts was a black blob of flies that buzzed like a saw. After a while these flies found Simon” (123). The flies surrounding Simon symbolize his morality in