The Usage of Symbolism in Lord of the Flies

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Recommended: Literary devices and their effects

Symbols are often used in literature to drive plot, give clues to events in the story, and develop key characters. They have more than one meaning, and in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding there are three key symbols used: the conch, Piggy’s eyeglasses and the impaled pigs head. These three symbols will be discussed by using specific references to the text as well as examining how they negatively impact the characters in the story.

Thesis: Three essential symbols that have a negative impact on the story are the conch, Piggy’s eyeglasses and the impaled pigs head.

The conch is a symbol in the novel and represents civilized authority and democracy. When the group of boys are stranded on the island, they choose Ralph as the democratic leader, because he found the conch. “We can use this to call the others.”(Golding, 40) When Ralph blows the conch everybody assembled by nature, because they were so used to civilized society at school that they reacted in an obedient way. Jack refuses that Ralph should be the leader and separates the boys into hunters from the rest of ...

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