Characterization And Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies, By William Golding

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Lord of the Flies is a novel published in 1954 by English author William Golding. Lord of the Flies is a classic about a group of boys who are stranded on a deserted island, with no adult supervision. At first, the boys try to establish order, however that quickly collapses as Ralph starts to lose power when Jack acts out and disobeys him, leading a bad example for the others. Eventually, Ralph is the only one who cares about order when his familiars are killed, and the others turn to Jack and his tribe who value freedom over order. WIlliam Golding uses characterization and symbolism in Lord of the Flies to illustrate the theme that society is directly influenced by the individuals who have the most power.

The idea that society is directly influenced by the personalities and ideologies of the people who created it is prominently portrayed by characterization. Ralph, who was the leader trying to establish order in the island, represented society and civilization. He was chosen as leader because “There was stillness about Ralph that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch” (Golding 22). He tried to apply what he remembered from society to the adult-less island: calling meetings, appointing a leader, and using the conch as a tool to gather everyone. …show more content…
In the beginning of the book, Ralph and Piggy found a conch, in which I believe symbolized civilization and humanity. The destroying of the conch represents the loss of order on the island. Piggy’s glasses represented intelligence and logic. The destroying of his glasses represent the loss of rational thinking and reasoning. Most of the symbols in Lord of the Flies represent the society we know, with logic and reasoning, and when they are destroyed, it signifies the further plunge into the darkness of

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