Essay On Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies

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Symbolism in Lord of the Flies Fear has the power to control, twist and break the ways of the human mind. The body, and mind are tricked and we find ourselves confused and fighting to piece together a troubling puzzle of straying emotion. Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, projecting that fear knows no bounds and is a great power. Fear and power go hand in hand, without fear there is no power, a teacher has no power over a student if the student is not afraid of the consequences of stepping out of line. This is shown in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The boys on the island experience fear in many different forms and their basic human instincts are swayed to do things they would not do otherwise. Fear was the real danger on the island. Although the boys did not see the hidden danger that they believed to be a beast, they let it take control of them and change who they were. The beast was created in the littluns minds because they wanted to make their fear of the dark and being trapped and alone, into something tangible. They created an object that could be stopped, otherwise it would be undefeatable, and they would be trapped and vulnerable. Each new fear fed to the story of the beast, growing it and its power over the boys. Kirstin Olsen stated, “Lord of the flies remains an influential and powerful commentary on human evil… It explores some of the most intense urges and emotions in our repertoire: the desire for power, the fear of the unknown, fear of other people, anger, and jealousy.” These emotions shaped the beast, filling the littluns heads with fear. The beast symbolized both fear and the darkness of humanity, though the darkness is also what the boys feared. When the boy... ... middle of paper ... ... one of the strongest weapons there is. Fear takes the form of an imaginary beast, a regular school boy, and in a rotting pigs’ head. As simple as they may seem, they symbolized the fears and faults of humans. William Golding’s Lord of the flies twists the limits on humanity, and proves the evil in the ways of human nature. Works cited Hynes, Samuel. “Several Interpretations of Lord of the Flies.” Swisher 56-64. 27 March. 2014. Epstein, E. L. "Here Be Thoughts." Here Be Thoughts. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 March. 2014. Julian. "Lord of the Flies." Lord of the Flies RSS. N.p., 2005. Web. 27 March. 2014. Olsen, Kirstin. "Understanding Lord of the Flies: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and ..." Google Books. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000. Web. 27 March. 2014. Winfriedshule, Fulda. "Lord of the Flies." Lord of the Flies RSS. N.p., 2005. Web. 27 March. 2014.

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