William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies are profound with many key characters, settings, objects and events that are symbolic and deeper than what is first perceived.
It is these important symbols that make Lord of the Flies an allegorical novel. It is the constant struggle to maintain civilization and resist complying with the savage urges that rages within each human individual that plays a central theme throughout the novel. Significant objects like the conch and signal fire; plot events such as the pig hunts; the main characters Ralph and jack are all symbols that have a grander meaning and transform this story into an allegorical novel
We could see the book as an allegory for the struggle between good and the evil in the world.
Ralph: Ralph stands for the individual in society. He stands for the well-being of society. In the novel his main duty was to make disciplines in the group and making a way to get of of the inhabited island. Allegorically represent civilization and democracy. He stands for all good in life.
Jack: the animalistic, the pre-rational impulse in human beings to satisfy our physical, material desires without regard to the consequences; unchecked, this inevitably leads to violence and cruelty. He is bloodthirsty leader who ruled his group with violence and power. Allegorically stands for all bad and evils in the world. The evil power of politician who are leader but not good because of there violence aspect like adolf Hitler in Germoney . He was powerfull leader but no good .
Piggy: the intellectual or rational faculty in human beings, which, if not tempered by the other forces within us, becomes selfish and vulnerable to the non-rational force.
Simon: the emotional capacity in human beings which is moved to serve others.Simon is the allegory of the natural human goodness. He is a Christ like figure could discover the truth but unlike the Christ he is sacrificed before he can deliver it to others. Simon is the passive element: like the candle buds in his shelter.
The Dead Pilot/The Naval Officer: the harmonizing of the three disparate forces within us; while it might be tempting to label this force "civilization," the fact that the novel's action unfolds in the aftermath of a war presumably waged at the behest of "civilization," such a label would need to be qualified.
It would be possible to interpret most of the other characters and objects in the story through this lens (e.g. the conch embodies the best qualities of representative government and therefore aligns with the harmonizing force; Piggy's glasses represent the intellect's potential to harness the elements and either enlighten or repress).
Obviously, this is just one interpretation of a novel that lends itself to many valid readings.
Thus the novel in an allegory that present all the goods and evils existence around us in the world.
It is these important symbols that make Lord of the Flies an allegorical novel. It is the constant struggle to maintain civilization and resist complying with the savage urges that rages within each human individual that plays a central theme throughout the novel. Significant objects like the conch and signal fire; plot events such as the pig hunts; the main characters Ralph and jack are all symbols that have a grander meaning and transform this story into an allegorical novel
We could see the book as an allegory for the struggle between good and the evil in the world.
Ralph: Ralph stands for the individual in society. He stands for the well-being of society. In the novel his main duty was to make disciplines in the group and making a way to get of of the inhabited island. Allegorically represent civilization and democracy. He stands for all good in life.
Jack: the animalistic, the pre-rational impulse in human beings to satisfy our physical, material desires without regard to the consequences; unchecked, this inevitably leads to violence and cruelty. He is bloodthirsty leader who ruled his group with violence and power. Allegorically stands for all bad and evils in the world. The evil power of politician who are leader but not good because of there violence aspect like adolf Hitler in Germoney . He was powerfull leader but no good .
Piggy: the intellectual or rational faculty in human beings, which, if not tempered by the other forces within us, becomes selfish and vulnerable to the non-rational force.
Simon: the emotional capacity in human beings which is moved to serve others.Simon is the allegory of the natural human goodness. He is a Christ like figure could discover the truth but unlike the Christ he is sacrificed before he can deliver it to others. Simon is the passive element: like the candle buds in his shelter.
The Dead Pilot/The Naval Officer: the harmonizing of the three disparate forces within us; while it might be tempting to label this force "civilization," the fact that the novel's action unfolds in the aftermath of a war presumably waged at the behest of "civilization," such a label would need to be qualified.
It would be possible to interpret most of the other characters and objects in the story through this lens (e.g. the conch embodies the best qualities of representative government and therefore aligns with the harmonizing force; Piggy's glasses represent the intellect's potential to harness the elements and either enlighten or repress).
Obviously, this is just one interpretation of a novel that lends itself to many valid readings.
Thus the novel in an allegory that present all the goods and evils existence around us in the world.
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