The Lord Of The Flies: Character Analysis

What is the thing that is holding us back from becoming savages, is it possibly just civilization and maturity? The “Lord of the Flies” is a great book about a group of schoolboys who struggle on an island to survive and deal with their situation, quickly resulting to foolish violence and savagery. First, I will give some of my interpretations and thoughts of the symbolism in the book, examples are how the fire, piggy, conch and so on affect the meaning behind the story. I will then talk about the characters and the affects their environment and other things had on them, for instance how Jack treating piggy badly and Roger and other characters encouraging that lead to some of the violence, and so forth. Finally, I will talk about the characters …show more content…
He is the one to think of most of the ideas, and is the only one to not stray from the thought of civilization and peace besides Simon. Ralph represents civilization, and although he did falter from time to time in going against savagery, he never gave in and joined the tribe. The conch represents order and reason, this reasoning being what connects piggy to the conch, as well as him being the one to find, and explaining it with such favor. Him and the conch are also destroyed at the same time, further proving this. Jack and Roger represent the dark side of civilization, and the idea that all men have the capability of evil in their hearts. This is shown by Jacks want for control and power, and Rogers enjoyment in the idea, or action, of harming others. The “beastie” is also a symbol of this inner evil, as all the boys are afraid of it, and no one had really seen it except in their nightmares. Simon, on the other hand, represents the pureness in mans heart, and the capability of good instead of evil, this is shown by his connection with nature, open-mindedness, and kindness towards others. The fire represents the boys desire to return to civilization, and possibly even their grip on the reality of the situation and how they are handling it. An example would be how in the beginning, the fire spread rapidly and the boys cannot control it, symbolizing their control in the situation, and how they are constantly playing and not committing to things or thinking of much besides