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William golding author study essay
William golding author study essay
How does Golding use symbolism in the novel
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Symbolism, one of the main elements used to convey the main idea in the esteemed novel The Lord of Flies written by William Golding ,advances the plot and foreshadows upcoming events or actions.Many symbols were mentioned throughout the novel such as: the beast, the fire, the island and much more however, the most dominant ones that enormously established and supported the conflict between civilization and savagery were the conch and Piggy glasses. The first and the most important symbol mentioned is the conch, a hand palm sized shell that allowed Ralph and Piggy to speak in a high frequency voice to call any other victims of the plane crash. Here it represents hope of getting rescued; knowing that there is a group of other people lost just …show more content…
On the other hand, this action was the first that determines the change, loss of power and a shift to savagery. Ralph knew that the hunters won’t come back because they were busy celebrating dance war, and this, in addition to war chants and war paint, was a sign of savagery. Another action that related to shifting to savagery was when Jack constantly broke the rules to threaten Ralph’s authority, plus his continuous assert that the conch doesn’t matter on his side of the land because he is more of an autocratic leader. When the conch was shattered into pieces with Piggy’s death, it showed that the last linkage between the boys and civilization was demolished. They killed one another for a simple argument instead of solving it as civilized people. “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” Overall, its major importance centers on covering the major theme: the conversion from civilization and savagery as a result of facing an extreme …show more content…
They’re intended for vision and sight, which is a metaphor for knowledge and intelligence. The glasses made him grow into an adult since living in an overprotective environment, because he has gained information that the boys lack, such as how the conch is used. When his glasses are taken away from him and eventually shatter, he becomes blind and his knowledge fades, this makes him virtually helpless which restricts his usefulness as Ralph’s advisor. His blindness foreshadows later events in the book when Jack’s tribe steal the spectacles, leaving Piggy completely blind and vulnerable. He says, "They've blinded me," before his death when the glasses shatter completely. This shows the strength of civilization that was brought by intelligence and reasoning, and it empowers the weakness that was brought by loss of reasoning and therefore savagery. It also symbolizes rescue. In chapter 3, the boys were unable to start the fire using sticks or stones, but they easily light it when using Piggy’s glasses to direct the sunlight onto the woods.“His specs-use them as burning glass!” At this point the glasses symbolize an attachment to civilization because we tend to associate fire with a civilized society. It also symbolize Piggy’s contribution to the group; generally he can’t help in tasks that involve physical activity because of his weigh asthma so allowing the boys to use his glasses shows that he is still helping them in their attempts
When Piggy’s glasses break in half, it symbolizes the boy's descent into savageness. Glasses, by definition¹, are “a pair of lenses used to correct or assist defective eyesight for an individual with vision problems.” Obviously, these glasses are only effective when the lenses are not broken, and this principle also applies in The Lord of the Flies. In The Lord of the Flies, the goal of the boys is to survive, and get rescued off of the island. To get rescued off of the island and therefore survive, Ralph decides that the boys need a fire, to make a smoke signal so passing ships or planes can spot them. They use the lenses of Piggy’s glasses to start this fire. When Jack lets this fire go out when he is out hunting for a pig, Ralph gets very angry, because the passing ship could have rescued them. This leads to the first fight as a result of the boy's’ newfound savageness. This fight leads to Piggy’s glasses breaking for the first time. Piggy’s glasses break again when Jack’s group steals them in a bid to start a fire of their own. “I just take the conch to say this. I can’t see no more and I got to get my glasses back.
His glasses symbolize many different things in the novel. First, they symbolize hope. Piggy’s specs are what the boys are using to light their signal fire, and without their fire, there is no hope for them of ever being rescued from the island. Therefore, the only hope that the boys have of leaving the island is in the balance of the condition of Piggy’s glasses. Without them being in good enough condition to use to make a fire, then there would be no hope of them ever leaving the island.
Piggy’s glasses play an important role in showing Piggy’s personality. The stereotype of a person with glasses is that they are smart and intelligent. These Glasses are very important in showing Piggy’s characteristics, as these glasses symbolize his wisdom. In the novel, Ralph even admits that he cannot think like Piggy. Piggy’s glasses also symbolize that he is weaker and more nurturing than the other boys who just want to go hunting.
My paragraphs proved that Conch is very affective symbol during the book. The Conch represents power because Ralph became the chief with the Conch and he controlled the boys and made the rules that is fair for every one so nobody would be hurt. Conch also symbolizes democracy because it was used to communicate others, and anyone who wants to speak and nobody can interrupt him. Conch shows the unity of the boys because Ralph made the boys work together with peace and making an assembly when needed. The Conch, which is just a shell that we can see at the beach, which became a very important object in the Lord of the Flies which symbolizes power, democracy, and unity.
Generally speaking, the conch has represented democracy and collectiveness throughout the novel. Golding uses the conch to highlight many different ideas in the book by setting the story on an island, which is a microcosm of the entire world and the world that the boys lived in before encountering the fateful crash of the plane. The group of boys encounter problems which, even on this island, they are unable to escape from. It is important to remember that at the same time, there is a nuclear war taking place. The ‘long scar’ that ‘smashed into the jungle’ implies that the island has already been ruined permanently. It seems as though the attempt to remove the boys from a war-filled world has failed because the island is already contaminated by the crash of the plane, which was shot down by an enemy plane, this is somewhat related to warfare. The boys now need to survive on the island and this causes problems revolving around social order, as there are no adults present. In that case, some of the problems are attempted to be resolved by using the conch.
Piggy in the beginning of the book was using his common sense, he was intelligent, he knew what was right from wrong, and he could condone things that made him angry easily. In the beginning of the book, (pg. ) Ralph told everyone his name was Piggy even though Piggy specifically told Ralph that he didn't like to be called that name Piggy later condoned Ralph's action with great ease. Piggy's action's and behavior depended on his glasses. Piggy and his glasses symbolized intelligence, he represents the rational side of civilization. With the glasses it seemed as though Piggy made all the right choices, and he helped Ralph know what needed to be done with the tribe. Without his glasses Piggy couldn't see i.e, Piggy was useless without his glasses.
When Piggy's glasses are broken all apparent hope of escaping with them is destroyed as well. By making the glasses useless the boys are rejecting what the spectacles stand for. Now no longer able to function at all the 'short and fat' Piggy becomes an animal like the rest of the boys, where only the fittest survive.
When Piggy is clearly able to see with the help of the glasses the boys are still fairly civilized. For example, at one of their first meetings, the boys decide that they "can't have everybody talking at once" and that they "have to have there hands up' like at school" (Golding, 33). However, after some time passes, the boys become more concerned with slaughtering a pig than with being rescued and returning to civilization. Returning, from a successful hunt in the jungle chanting "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood," Ralph and Piggy attempt to explain to the boys that having meat for their meals is not as important as keeping the signal fire burning (Golding, 69). With anger, Jack knocks Piggy glasses off from his face, smashing one of the lenses against rocks and obviously impairing his vision. William Golding uses Piggy's glasses as a symbol of civilization and when they break it is like that the
In Lord of the Flies, Piggy’s spectacles symbolize technology. An example of this is when the boys are brainstorming proposals on how to ignite a fire: “‘You rub two sticks. You rub-’… ‘You make a bow and spin the arrow’… Jack pointed suddenly. ‘His specs-use them as burning glasses!’” (Golding 40). The youth are stumped when it comes to kindling the fire; many recommend possible solutions, but nobody knows how to execute them. Accordingly, using Piggy’s glasses illustrates the boys relying on their past technology to accomplish things in their current situation. However, as the children’s conflicts escalate, they disperse into two tribes, and Jack’s tribe steals Piggy’s glasses: “He was chief now in truth; and he made stabbing motions with
These glasses are very symbolic. They don’t just represent Piggy, but all the boys and how they must survive on the island although they do not realize its importance yet. When Piggy first came to the island, his glasses were spotless and perfect with no damage, just like the boys were. Each one came to the island as someone else and left completely changed. They represent intelligence and intellectual pursuit. Piggy is probably the brightest of the stranded boys on the island in Lord of the Flies, and his glasses help to set him apart from the others. He’s symbolized as a grown-up figure that has common sense. He is the most rational boy in the group; making his glasses also symbolize logical reasoning within society. But he was completely disrespected as Jacks says in the novel, “ ‘you’re talking too much fatty.’ ” (Golding 18) The glasses don’t just represent Piggy and what he stands for, but for everyone else as
In conclusion, Piggy’s glasses ultimately represent the use of knowledge. In the beginning of The Lord of the Flies, the glasses aided the boys in many ways, but towards the end it destroyed the island. Without Piggy, the boys couldn't properly use knowledge, and without knowledge Piggy couldn't rationalize. The glasses were extremely symbolic throughout the
When Roger hurls a boulder at Piggy and the shell, “the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (181). This marks the complete collapse of all forms of society among the boys as there is no longer a conch to represent it. Furthermore, it is significant that Golding uses the word “exploded” to describe the conch’s obliteration. This mirrors the atomic world war that is occurring at this time. With war, society and order crumble as terror and chaos reign.
The first symbol I will be discussing about is the conch shell. Ralph and Piggy find the conch in the first chapter. Ralph blows into the conch shell to make a loud noise to attract the other boys out of the wood. They used the conch to assemble an assembly to talk about what they're gonna do. The conch represents the law and order in civilization. Near the end of the novel, the conch was broken representing the lost of order.
Piggy beside his glasses symbolizes science and intelligence. Jack, the painted faces, long hair and the naked kids represent wildness and violence, names some of the characters are symbols also, Piggy's name, which considers as a weak animal and in fat the character as well is the week to ( overweight issues, eyesight). The conch also is another symbol, it related to Ralph and Piggy so it represents the order and civilization. The head is a physical symbol as well, it represents evil and the savagery that is inside every
The first symbol, which is used all throughout the book, is the symbol of the Conch. The conch was a large shell which piggy had first unearthed on the island. The conch shows powers all throughout the book and always commands respect form the boys due to its importance. The importance and power would best be compared to that of a congregation when a Rabbi removes the torah from the ark, which holds it. The first quote which best shows the importance of the conch is when it is used by Ralph and Piggy to summon all the boys together when they find themselves alone on the island. "The Conch, we can use this to call the others. Have a meeting they'll come when they hear us- (16)." Then again at the second meeting we see how the boys are drawn to the Conch and how it is like a magnet to the boys, which draws them to who ever uses it. "By the time Ralph had finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded (32)." The conch also shows the first idea of civilization and rules. One example is when there is disorder because everyone I talking at once. "Conch, that's what the shell is called. I'll give the conch to the next person who speaks. He can hold when he is speaking (33)." Finally the conch is used for is to show how Piggy does so much to help them and does not get credit for it. It was used that way when Piggy was the first one to see the Conch and Piggy was the one who knew what it was and instructed Ralph on how to use it.