Essay on Allegory in Lord of the Flies - 1473 Words

Allegory in Lord of the Flies In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, which is set during World War II, English school boys, escaping war in England, crash on a deserted tropical island. From the protected environment of boarding school, the boys are suddenly thrust into a situation where they must fend for themselves. In order to survive, the boys copy their country’s rule for a civilized life by electing a leader, Ralph. He promises order, discipline, and rules for the boys so that they form a small civilized society. This civilized society does not last. Struggling with Jack who wants to be the leader and the boys’ fears of the unknown, Ralph is unable to maintain control, and the boys fulfill Golding’s perspective that human†¦show more content†¦Although the boys would prefer to have fun and play games, they follow Ralph’s rules at first. This order is maintained until Ralph loses his leadership role to Jack. After providing, or bribing, the boys with juicy pi g meat, Jack asks â€Å"’Who’ll join my tribe and have fun?’† (211). This lure of enjoyment along with the promise of more food sways the boys to follow Jack. With the demise of Ralph’s leadership and under the leadership of Jack, the boys begin to turn towards savagery. From this point on, the change in the leadership brings with it the transformation of the boys from ordered society to savages. Through the downfall of Ralph’s leadership and the resulting descent into savagery, Golding is able to reveal how the dark side of human nature can prevail. Golding’s character Piggy portrays the voice of reasoning and logic and his glasses symbolize his wisdom. Ralph recognizes Piggy’s ability to think with clarity and soon depends upon him in his role as leader. Piggy’s idea to use the conch to assemble all the survivors leads to Ralph’s election as leader. Ralph uses Piggy’s ideas for building shelter and Piggy’s glasses to ignite the signal fire. â€Å"Ralph moved the lenses back and forth, this way and that, till a glossy white image of the declining sun lay on a piece of the rotten wood† (30). Golding shows his pessimistic view of human nature as Piggy, whose ideas and logical thoughts hav e been so important to theShow MoreRelatedLord Of The Flies Allegory820 Words   |  4 Pagesthe allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the innocence of schoolboys deserted on an island is tested and broken. In a failed attempt to reach safety in the midst of World War II, these boys are stranded on an island to fend for themselves. Golding uses Simon, the archetypal innocent character, in the text to demonstrate the corruption the boys face, as well as the loss of their innocence. Thus, through the characterization of Simon in Lord of the Flies, William Golding symbolizesRead MoreAllegory In Lord Of The Flies Essay1148 Words   |  5 PagesAuthors and writers use allegories in their writings as literary devices that convey hidden meanings through characters, events, or imagery, which come together to develop moral, spiritual, or political ideas (â€Å"Allegory – Examples†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Many people believe that William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel in which its main characters represent political ideas. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an allegory as a symbolic representation (1). Ralph, a good-looking, charismatic boy, representsRead MoreLord Of The Flies As A Psychological Allegory1170 Words   |  5 Pagesan evil already inside of them. In William Golding’s psychological fiction Lord of the Flies, the idea of being born innately evil is recurrently alluded to. The novel is about a group of young British boys who crash land on a remote island. They are left with no laws to tell them what they can or cannot do, and are extremely frightened of a so called â€Å"Beast† that they expect lives on the island. In the Lord of the Flies, â€Å"The Beast† symbolizes the evil and devilish proclivity inside of all humansRead MoreAllegories In William Goldings Lord Of The Flies885 Words   |  4 Pagesfield with his model of the human psyche. According to his model, the mind is divided in to three aspects: the id, ego, and superego. William Golding’s allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies, employs these three aspects of the psyche through intricate characterization representing the concepts of id, ego, and superego. Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of young British boys who are stranded on an island in the South Pacific. They become trapped when their plane is shot down while trying to escapeRead MoreLord of the Flies is an Allegory Written by Willam Golding740 Words   |  3 Pages Lord of the Flies is an allegory written by William Goldings, published by Penguin Group on September 17,1954.This successful, spine-chilling book has won many awards, such as the 1983 Nobel Prize in Literature , for the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth. The book talks about a group of marooned British Boys,ages 6 to 12,left to fend and govern themselves with no adult supervision.When the story opens,a plane carrying a group of boys hasRead MoreLord of the Flies Allegory: Civilization vs. Savagery Essay883 Words   |  4 PagesLord of the Flies Allegory: Civilization vs. Savagery Every human has a primal instinct lying within them. It is not a question of how close to the actual surface it dwells, but rather how well an individual controls and copes with it. In a state of prolonged anguish and panic, what is one truly capable of? Can one remain sophisticated or will the temptation of their dark subconscious take over, bringing out the barbarianism which exists in us all? William Golding’s Lord of the Flies exploresRead More Use of Allegory and Symbols in William Goldgings Lord of the Flies 1346 Words   |  6 PagesUse of Allegory and Symbols in William Goldgings Lord of the Flies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Goldings Lord of the Flies allegorically shows the good and evil that co-exists in every human being.   Each character and symbol renders this possible by what it represents.   Ralph and Jack allegorically represent opposing political forces: Jack as the dictator or fascist and Ralph as the prototype of a democratic leader.   The island represents the archetypal garden and the conch shell represents power.   GoldingRead MoreAllegory and Symbols in Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay1079 Words   |  5 PagesThe Lord of the Flies is a novel hardly definable that bounders among many genres. Though we may find typical characteristics of adventure, dystopian or religious fiction, the dealing of symbols turn this as a potentially allegorical novel which can be studied and interpreted through different visions and perspectives. Characters and objects resemble behaviors, historical processes, personality styles and emotions. The narrator found in these the â€Å"objective correlative† to evoke different emotionsRead MoreAn Allegory of Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis Theory in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies936 Words   |  4 PagesAustrian psychologist, once said that â€Å"the ego is not master in its own house.† The novelLord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is an allegory for Sigmund Freud’s theory on the superego, the ego, and the id, and the constant struggle between the three psyches, which leads to a man becomingcrazy. The three characters in the novel which represent the three psyches are; the Lord of the Flies, Ralph, and Simon. The island that the boys are stranded on can be interpreted as the mind of the manRead MoreLord of the Flies by William Golding1585 Words   |  7 Pages Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a fictional novel highlighting natural characteristics of man kind. The Book was created during the post World War II period. Before creating this novel, William had experience in the navy where he learned of the nature of mankind. The introduction of the book portrays a plane crash where a large group of boys are stranded on an island. Here they grow in character and human instincts such as leadership, brutality, and survival are displayed