What Does The Fire Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

Authors use symbolism in writing to enhance the story and convey meaning and imagery to the reader. These symbols can be comprised of an object, person, situation, events or actions that have a deeper meaning in context. Many symbols were used in Lord Of The Flies. Many of which symbolized the progression of civility to savagery. Some of these symbols included the fire, Simon's clearing, and Piggy's specs. These symbols added dramatic effect and a deeper meaning to the story. Of all the symbols, the fire was predominantly the most important throughout the novel. The fire in Lord of The Flies began as hope, turned into death, and concluded as a savior.

The fire demonstrated hope as it was used to signal boats in nearby water. The boys arrived on the island and slowly found each other. After they established Ralph as the leader, he gathered the boys to address the importance of the fire. He stated, “If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us, So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire” (Golding 51). The lost boys were stranded on an unknown island

A preeminent conflict, Ralph and Jack competed for power in the novel. While time away from civilization prolonged, Jacks morals and determination from right and wrong decreased. As a result, Jack used desperate measures such as the fire to steal complete power from Ralph. Golding stated, “Then Ralph was running beneath trees, with the grumble of the forest explained. They had smoked him out and set the island on fire.” (283). While the boys spent more time away from civilization, their ferocious and violent characteristics became evident. The symbol of death clearly shows this progression from civil to savages because the boys took fierce, violent, and uncontrolled actions to plan Ralph’s death. In addition to death, the fire ultimately symbolized a savior in the end of the