A Bright Light on A Foggy Night, Symbols of Hope

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Recommended: SYMBOLISM ESSay

A symbol is an object that represents an idea, which means more than its physical function. For Example, in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, an item as simple as a signal fire can represent so much more than what it actually is. Additionally, the signal fire in this book is a symbol which represents hope. In the Lord of the Flies, a group of schoolboys find themselves stranded on an unmarked island attempting to fight for their own survival, battling mental obstacles as well as physical obstacles. The object that keeps the boys connected to civilization in some way is in the form of a signal fire. This fire keeps the boys tied to civilization because its their only hope of getting rescued. Ralph states, “(Y)our only hope is keeping a signal fire going as long as theres a light to see” (Golding 178). Ralph, the child elected leader in the beginning of the novel, desperately tries to explain to Jack, the antagonist, that the only possible way to get rescued other than dumb luck is to keep a signal fire lit. While the signal fire is not lit, the boys lose their ties to ...

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