Evil And Savagery In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

The “Lord of the Flies”—the pig’s head on a stick—is an allegory for Beelzebub or Satan in Scripture. In this essay, it will be conveyed how the representative “lord of the flies” brings about evil and savagery inside the boys.

2 Kings 1: 1-2 is the first time in which Beelzebub, meaning “lord of the flies”, is mentioned in Scripture. It says, “After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness. Similarly, in the novel The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, the boys form their own “lord of the flies” by sharpening a stick at both ends, ramming one end into the earth, and by jamming the soft throat of a pig’s head on the pointed end of the stick (Golding viii.).

Piggy, a bright an overweight boy, is always involved in trying to get off the island during the novel. He represents reason and intellect, which is shown through his glasses being used to start the signal fire at the top of the mountain. Also, Piggy is fond of the conch shell, a symbol throughout the novel, representing civility and law and order. It is used in the beginning of the novel to allow a person to speak during the tribal meetings. However, it soon becomes meaningless as the boys embrace their savage desires. Piggy’s death involves him being shattered like the conch, reiterating how civilization has become a meaningless concept on the island. “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. He fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red…” (Golding