Consider two symbols, which you consider to be important in the novel, and show you have thought about how Golding makes use o Consider two symbols, which you consider to be important in the novel ‘The Lord of the Flies’, and show you have thought about how Golding makes use of them. A symbol is ‘a thing regarded as suggesting something.’ The two objects I have chosen are in my view the most symbolically important in the novel ‘The Lord of the Flies’. Firstly I have chosen the conch. The conch is very significant, as it is the first recognizable object introduced. A conch is a shell, and is described as ‘deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink.’ It is discovered in the first chapter of the book, ‘The Sound of the Shell’ and is used to summon everyone together. Traditionally, the conch was used by the Greek God of the Sea, Triton, to calm or raise the oceans. Similarly, it was used by Ralph to command order, attention and respect from the other boys, although he did not use it intentionally to do this. The boys see it as a symbol of authority, which must be obeyed unquestioningly. When this authority is challenged by Jack in ‘Beast From Water’, and again in ‘Beast From Air’, it is the turning point leading to Ralph’s downfall, and the demise of the conch. ‘ “Conch! Conch!” shouted Jack. “We don’t need the conch any more.” ’ Jack is undermining Ralph, merely to disguise his own insecurity. It is at this point that Ralph realises the seriousness of the situation, and is too scared to blow the conch, in case the boys do not regroup. ‘ “If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; we’ve had it.” ’ The conch is also representative of the boys’ loss of innocence, as this is echoed by the conch losing colour, and losing significance to the boys. When the conch is destroyed, it indicates the destruction of order, and rational thought and behaviour. At the same moment the conch is destroyed, Piggy is killed, which heightens the drama of the situation, and stresses how important it is that the conch has been destroyed. In the microcosm of the island, the boys have virtually no discipline or figure of authority, and so become more and more feral. Jack’s behaviour in this situation shows that people will abuse power if it is not earned. The power that he has corrupts him, and turns him from a bossy schoolboy into a bloodthirsty dictator. At the beginning of the novel, the boys were still subject to their conditioning by
All forms of literature consist of patterns that can be discovered through critical and analytical reading, observing and comparing. Many patterns are discussed in the novel, How to Read Literature like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster. Among these patterns, he discusses the use of symbolism and the representation something can have for a different, underlying aspect of a piece of literature. These symbols tend to have multiple meanings and endless interpretations depending on who is reading and analyzing them. No matter
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies there are many examples of symbolism. The conch shell represents order, the appearance of the boys represents savagery, and the fire on top of the mountain represents rescue. These examples are all symbols in the book.
The conch is a valuable item at the beginning of the book that holds a lot of power. Although the boys were able to come together and elect a chief among themselves, the chief does not hold the most power within the civilization. During the first whole group meeting where Piggy, observes
Symbolism in Lord of the Flies Fear has the power to control, twist and break the ways of the human mind. The body, and mind are tricked and we find ourselves confused and fighting to piece together a troubling puzzle of straying emotions. Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, projecting that fear knows no bounds and is a great power. Fear and power go hand in hand, without fear there is no power, a teacher has no power over a student if the student is not afraid of the consequences of stepping out of line.
Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is a story about a band of patients in a mental ward who struggle to find their identity and get away from the wretched Nurse. As audiences read about the tale, many common events and items seen throughout the story actually represent symbols for the bigger themes of the story. Symbols like the fishing trip, Nurse, and electroshock therapy all emphasize the bigger themes of the story.
Throughout Elizabeth Winthrop’s short story, “The Golden Darters,” are symbols of how Emily, the main character, is growing up. The most obvious symbols are Emily piercing her ears, her father’s table where he works on the flies, and the golden darters.
Throughout his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne reveals character through the use of imagery and metaphor.
One of the most important themes running through the whole story in Lord of the Flies by William Golding is the power of different symbols. Golding frequently uses symbolism, which is the practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning. The main point of each symbol is its use and its effect on each of the characters. They help shape who the characters are and what they will be. The symbols weave their way throughout the story and are more powerful than they first seem. Two boys from similar upbringings can both be so drastically different when put in difficult situations and given things to make them wield power among others. Spitz says, “But his desire for many controls did not, of course, extend to controls
Symbolism plays an important role in the Scarlet Letter. The scarlet "A" is used to represent sin and anguish along with happiness. The "A" has different meanings to people other than what was originally intended. The scaffold is used as a place of repentance and judgment by God. Pearl is another major symbol used as a reminder of the scarlet letter.
After Piggy explains his previous knowledge of how to use a conch to Ralph he has an idea, “ ‘We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us-’ “ (Golding 16).
Throughout the story the conch had been used to keep the boys together and to keep order between them. They would blow the conch in order to bring everyone together and only the one holding the conch would be allowed to speak at assemblies. Slowly, the boys started to act more as savages and lose civilization. As the boys begin to use the conch less and less, their civilization declines. Jack and his tribe of boys leave Piggy and Ralph and go out to hunt. They begin to lose sight of what is really important, which is working together and getting rescued. Piggy suggests Ralph blow the conch in order to call them back. Jack responds by saying, “If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued,” (92). Ralph begins to lose hope of getting rescued. The boys have become savages and do not come back when Ralph blows the conch. When the boys ignore the conch, civilization decreases as the boys become savages. The conch was used to keep the boys together, and now that they are ignoring it they have lost most civilization and become savages. Jack later says "We don't need the conch anymore." (101-102). The conch is slowly losing its value to the boys. With the conch losing its value with the boys, their civilization slowly decreases. The conch was the only form of civilization the boys had
The conch begins as a beacon of power; whoever has the conch is given everybody’s full attention and no one else is allowed to speak until the shell is passed to them. The strict rules associated with the conch keep the boys in line and cooperative. As the island deteriorates into savagery, the conch loses its power to maintain order. The loss of the conch’s significance is exhibited through the invasion of Ralph and Piggy’s camp: “‘I thought they wanted the conch.’ Ralph trotted down the pale beach and jumped on to the platform. The conch still glimmered by the chief’s seat,” (168). Ralph, one of the only boys that still values order, is baffled that Jack’s tribe left the conch shell because he still sees it as a beacon of power. The savages, on the other hand, have no desire for order within their tribe; to them, the conch is simply a shell. Despite its insignificance to most, the conch continues to hold order within Ralph’s small group of boys until they approach the savages at their end of the island. Piggy brings the conch with him to remind the savages of what’s right, but in the end, has no effect on them, as both he and the conch shell are destroyed. “The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” (181). The destruction is completed entirely, not one piece of the conch remains. This is significant because it signifies that the state of order on the island has completely vanished. Soon after the destruction of the conch, Jack’s tribe erupts in chaos and begins a hunt for Ralph. The boys go crazy with bloodlust and rambunctiously march around the island; there is no order whatsoever among the remaining boys. With the decaying state of the conch shell comes the declining state of order on the island until the conch is destroyed and order
In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the boys who are stranded on the island come in contact with many unique elements that symbolize ideas or concepts. Through the use of symbols such as the beast, the pig's head, and even Piggy's specs, Golding demonstrates that humans, when liberated from society's rules and taboos, allow their natural capacity for evil to dominate their existence.
Lord of the Flies is a novel that is all about symbols that have different powers which is used on the boys. Two of the symbols which are the conch and the sow’s head contain powers that are opposite of each other and they have a great affect on the boys. Lord of the Flies would be a different story without symbols. The conch has the powers that lead to civilization and order. It represents the authority that the boys will need to get rescued from the island. The sow’s head on the other hand represents the evil powers to lead the boys to total chaos and savagery which is created by Jack. Jack has used one of the sow’s head’s symbolism which is the beast to control his group. The conch has a power that is used for order and civilization, while the sow’s head has a power to control evil and savagery.
Through the symbol of the conch, the importance of stability, order, and civilization are established. When the boys first arrived on the island the conch was used to summon and unite the boys in order to form a civilization. The conch also serves as a regulator of democracy, “ We’ll have to have hands up, like at school… then I’ll give them the conch [to speak]” (Golding 31) said Ralph. This universal understanding that everyone would follow and respect the rules of the conch allowed every individual to speak his mind and to be a functioning member of society. However, as time progressed the mutual respect for authority and the power of the conch began to diminish. The assembly began to disrespect the whoever held the conch. As a result, the rules of their society began to become unstable. “As Piggy stood on the platform, the white conch gripped in his hands…” (141), the conch that was once vibrant in color and importance, was now faded and irrelevant. As the walls of civilized society crumbled, the boys gave into their animal desires and disregarded the only element of order apparent on the island. The symbol of order and civilization continued to lose its value as Jack mocked its importance. “The sound of the inexpertly blown conch interrupted them. As though he were serenading the