Lord Of The Flies: Fragility Of Society

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The Fragility of Society
Does the fragility of civilization affect the amount of disasters that can possibly occur? The novel The Lord of the Flies by William Golding emphasizes this idea. Golding describes how civilization can be vulnerable to disaster through symbolic and allegorical meanings throughout his story. These symbols help direct readers through the plot and unfold the true meaning of the fragility of society through an interesting and riveting novel. Additionally, Golding provides examples from his story on how the boys’ society quickly crumbled, therefore, the fragility of society is portrayed through Golding’s novel by the effect of the conch shell, the terrifying beast, and the multiple uses of a fire within their vulnerable …show more content…
This fear first occurs when the younger boys described their thoughts and dreams about the beast to the older boys. The boys become fearful and obsessive over this particular monster. This caused their society to weaken due to the lack of trust and caused them to drift apart. Thus, proving that society is fragile by how easily trust and fearlessness an dissipate it. Also, later on in the story, Simon quickly discovers that the beast is actually a savage monster buried inside all of mankind. Later in the plot, Simon is told by the Lord of the Flies, “we are going to have fun on the island” (Golding 147). This remark symbolizes the boys disdain for the rules of civilization and desire to wallow in every pleasure and desire. This drives the boys further away from human development and into destruction. Thus, their society is fragile because one single act of savagery can ultimately deteriorate their rules and laws in their society, proving that their civilization is easily …show more content…
The conch shell is an important symbol of civilization, as it produces order among the boys. However, as Roger accumulates power, he ends up destroying the conch, essentially creating disaster for their civilization. The frightening beast causes fear and destruction within their society, and increases the overall fragility. At the beginning of the book, the signal fire is extinguished, making it impossible for the boys to be saved. This produces more problems, and a large potential for disaster. These symbols help to unfold the true meaning of the fragility of society throughout the plot of the story and provide a reason as to why the society in The Lord of the Flies
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