Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies Essay

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Lord of the Flies was created by William Golding, an English novelist that studied at Oxford where the experience allowed for his writing to grow and develop. The main purpose of the novel was to portray the struggle of a group of boys in the era of war. It is aligned off of personal experiences the author had in World War II, the severity and insanity allowed him to have a corrupted view on the world and everything inside of it (“William Golding,” N.P.). Much like Oxford, being apart of the Royal Navy influenced his book greatly, he used his personal experiences here to shape the basis of the novel. This experience allowed for him to see how man and nature were corrupt (“Lord of the Flies,” 1). He also found that man has evilness developed within him, it takes the stripping of societal rules and order for this demon to be let out. This is found deeply within the novel, as the boys are stranded on this beautiful deadly island, where they revert to the animal ways that society hid. The main theme of Lord of the Flies is every man possesses an inner darkness that crosses the line between civilization and savagery, but covers it with society’s rules and order.
Symbolism greater emphasizes the theme throughout the novel. The conch was one of the main symbols found within the novel, it showed the democratic establishment in which Piggy and Ralph try to uphold (“Lord of the Flies,” 1). A website depicting English literature, was discussing this standard they try to build. The website is quoted as saying, “[b]ut in their aim they forget one important aspect: people only take orders under the pressure of institution(police) or laws (1).” The conch symbolizes order, attempting to establish a civilized nation in which the chil...

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...mpt to establish a civilization that will ultimately fail in the end, he is again portraying this theme. Symbols show how not only through characters but objects, the author infiltrates this main purpose. Religious influence also shows how the corrupt nature links not only to the boys themselves but to all humanity. Religion is how God and the devil battle with the ultimate victim being humanity. Specifically and most importantly, Original Sin is represented in the novel by the temptation of savagery from the devil. Lastly, beastiality is a natural product that cannot be avoided no matter how much order is placed within their presence. The primitive nature of humans leads to men becoming savages. Evidently civilization is only temporary but savagery lasts forever. It is only a matter of time before arising of this inner demon occurs and destroys all in its path.

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