The Flies Symbolism

Lord of the Flies & its’ Symbolism

In Lord of the Flies many symbols are displayed throughout the story that change over time. When the boys first encounter the island, they change drastically from the beginning to end. Not only do the boys change but the symbols change as well, some gaining significance and some losing. Throughout the book, we witness the boys grow; we witness death, and mostly, readers see important change. Overall, symbolism in Lord of the Flies creates a dynamic aspect to the classic book.

One important significant symbol is the conch. The conch is used multiple times to call the boys together to hold meetings and exchange ideas. It also gives the boys a sense of power, where they are able to hold it and speak in its’ presence. The conch states its power early in the book when a leader is decided. ‘“Him with the shell.” “ Ralph! Ralph!” “Let him be chief with the trumpet-thing!”’(Golding 22). Such a simple object becomes one of the most important symbols in the book because no other object has the power to bring the boys together. It can also stand for equality. The equality is shown by each boy getting the chance to speak their mind by holding the conch. Slowly, each boy starts to lose their equality or freedom of ability to use the conch. As the book continues, not only some of the boys but the conch itself starts losing power. Jack Merridew dislikes the conch because he feels that he should have all of the power and authority. Many times, we experience Jack not wanting Piggy to use the conch because he should not have the same power and ability to do the same things as him. The conch loses its authority when Jack goes off and starts his own tribe. “I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyo...

... middle of paper ...

...tribe as savages because of their animal like actions. When the boys kill Simon, they become the beast without realizing it. The more they act like animals, the more realistic the beast becomes to them. As the story continues, the beast as a symbol becomes more feared and significant.

Throughout Lord of the Flies, we encounter multiple symbolic meanings. Some of these symbols not only changed but it also affected other parts of the story. For example, when the conch is smashed, all organization is lost. They no longer have this object to come together and have meetings. The fire ends up being the symbol that rescues the boys. This was an important symbol to Ralph from the beginning of the book because he knew it was the only thing that could possibly save them. The beast is something that shows the bad in us. It raises the question of are human beings really evil?