Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel filled with numerous symbols, including the conch, the sow’s head, and Piggy’s glasses. Each symbol serves its own purpose and helps support the numerous allegories Golding creates throughout the novel, such as the political allegory. Together, all the symbols support Golding’s underlining meaning of the story, civilization vs. savagery. Though some symbols play a larger role than others, they all work together to create a standard for authors and readers for years to come. Lord of the Flies is a novel that depicts the savagery and civilization of human nature. Golding links these traits through the power of the conch, the sow’s head, and Piggy’s glasses. Notably, the conch represents power and authority
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The conch’s power represents a civilization, while the sow’s head represents the power of evil and savagery on the island. Jack’s main reasoning for the sow’s head was to maintain peace with the beastie, for the last thing he wants is for the beast to frighten the members of his tribe “This head is for the beast. It’s a gift.”(Golding 137). By doing this, the boys are satisfying the evil within themselves. As a result, the evil in them builds up. Moreover, Piggy’s glasses play a major role in displaying and representing power on the island. Piggy’s glasses represent hope and intelligence. At first glance, his glasses represent weakness for making him stand out and making him appear “different” from the rest of the boys, but after they were used to start the fire, his glasses became a symbol of power. The shift between weakness and power occurs frequently. For example, when one lens shattered (Golding 71), the glasses became weak, for only having half as much of an impact on the fire, and also the shattering of their hopes on getting rescued. Gradually, the power and respect of the glasses grew. Once the boys had divided, Jack’s group had a desire for the power of fire, which could only be accomplished with the aid of Piggy’s glasses. As a result, they raided Ralph and Piggy, and took the glasses (Golding 168). The glasses are no longer a desire, but a necessity to prove who the most powerful and fittest group …show more content…
As a whole, the novel explores the need of a political organization and exaggerates the battle of innate and learned behaviors. In chapter one, Golding portrays the island as a place where the boys have the choice of re-imposing social orders and returning to a pre-civilized state. Through characterization, Golding stresses the tension between anarchy and political organization. The first sign of a dictatorship is shown through the appearance of Jack and his choir. Golding describes Jack and his choir as militaristic and aggressive, with Jack's bold manner and the choir marching in step. They are the first concrete example of civilization on the island, with a negative vibe. Jack seems to be a physical manifestation of evil; with his dark cloak and wild red hair “Inside the…. Without silliness”(Golding 20). Moreover, Jack is militaristic and authoritarian. He gives orders to his choir as if they were troops, allowing room for neither discussion nor dissent. Furthermore, Jack uses the beast to expose external threats that justify the loss of civilization (Golding
The conch’s power represents a civilization, while the sow’s head represents the power of evil and savagery on the island. Jack’s main reasoning for the sow’s head was to maintain peace with the beastie, for the last thing he wants is for the beast to frighten the members of his tribe “This head is for the beast. It’s a gift.”(Golding 137). By doing this, the boys are satisfying the evil within themselves. As a result, the evil in them builds up. Moreover, Piggy’s glasses play a major role in displaying and representing power on the island. Piggy’s glasses represent hope and intelligence. At first glance, his glasses represent weakness for making him stand out and making him appear “different” from the rest of the boys, but after they were used to start the fire, his glasses became a symbol of power. The shift between weakness and power occurs frequently. For example, when one lens shattered (Golding 71), the glasses became weak, for only having half as much of an impact on the fire, and also the shattering of their hopes on getting rescued. Gradually, the power and respect of the glasses grew. Once the boys had divided, Jack’s group had a desire for the power of fire, which could only be accomplished with the aid of Piggy’s glasses. As a result, they raided Ralph and Piggy, and took the glasses (Golding 168). The glasses are no longer a desire, but a necessity to prove who the most powerful and fittest group …show more content…
As a whole, the novel explores the need of a political organization and exaggerates the battle of innate and learned behaviors. In chapter one, Golding portrays the island as a place where the boys have the choice of re-imposing social orders and returning to a pre-civilized state. Through characterization, Golding stresses the tension between anarchy and political organization. The first sign of a dictatorship is shown through the appearance of Jack and his choir. Golding describes Jack and his choir as militaristic and aggressive, with Jack's bold manner and the choir marching in step. They are the first concrete example of civilization on the island, with a negative vibe. Jack seems to be a physical manifestation of evil; with his dark cloak and wild red hair “Inside the…. Without silliness”(Golding 20). Moreover, Jack is militaristic and authoritarian. He gives orders to his choir as if they were troops, allowing room for neither discussion nor dissent. Furthermore, Jack uses the beast to expose external threats that justify the loss of civilization (Golding