What Does The Fire Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

Lord of The Flies Symbolism Throughout the novel, Lord of The Flies, author William Golding makes great use of symbolism by having the characters encounter elements that resemble important ideas. While the boys wait for rescue on the island, they become familiar with several figures, ranging from objects to characters- all of which symbolize certain concepts. Each element comes in a different shape and form. They appear as the conch shell, Piggy’s spectacles, the signal fire, the Beastie, and characters, one being Piggy. In the beginning of the novel the first major symbol introduced to the plot was the conch shell. Piggy and Ralph used this as a form of communication to get through to the other boys and round them up after the plane crash. It was powerful in the sense of having the ability to summon the boys, giving authority to whoever held it in their possession, and creating a system of order in …show more content…
There are two contradicting meanings to the signal fire. It could be viewed positively as a resource for rescue, or negatively because of the destruction that it caused. Originally, the fire was maintained to keep a connection to the outside world in hopes of the boys being rescued. However, over time the boys lost their way and the motive behind the idea of fire turned savage. Instead of the fire being meant to save them, the boys used it as a weapon with the intention of harming Ralph.

An additional example of symbolism in the novel is the “Beastie” the boys fear. When referring to the alleged beast, Simon suggests that, “Maybe there is a beast….maybe it’s only us” (p. 80). This implies that the monster they all fear is not an outside force, but instead within themselves. The beast represents the evil within mankind; It is the savage-like behaviour that all are capable of. It is ironic to think that the boys are scared of a beast they have never seen, yet in reality-they are terrified of

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What Does The Fire Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies