Lord of the Flies (symbolism)

The central theme in the novel Lord of The Flies, by William Golding, is that all mankind is inherently savage and the only aspect suppressing man’s primitive behavior is the moral influences of civilization. It is society that holds everyone together, and when rules, values, and consensus of right and wrong are absent, a moral surrounding no longer influences one’s actions. Thus, values, reason, and the basic understanding of morality are lost, and the true essence of human nature is revealed. The regression from a civilized society to savagery is portrayed through Golding’s characters and symbolized by the downfall of the conch, the extinguishing of the fire, and the concealing use of face paint.
Through the symbol of the conch, the importance of stability, order, and civilization are established. When the boys first arrived on the island the conch was used to summon and unite the boys in order to form a civilization. The conch also serves as a regulator of democracy, ?We’ll have to have hands up, like at school?then I’ll give them the conch [to speak]?(Golding 31) said Ralph. This universal understanding that everyone would follow and respect the rules of the conch allowed every individual to speak his mind and to be a

One of the most vital topics of the novel remains the issue of the beast, which frightened the boys who viewed it as a real object. But, in all actuality the beast was something internal; a residing evil present in every individual awaiting for its chance to act upon man’s true bloodthirsty nature. The Beast within accomplished its goal with the use of face paint, which allowed the boys to mask their identities and excused them from their uncivilized actions. “…the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness?(64). This thin layer of paint gave the boys?confidence and justification to commit atrocious acts of violence; ultimately causing them to do things they would never in their rights mind do. After a while, Ralph could no longer see the humanity within the boys. ?He gazed at the green and black mask before him, trying to remember what Jack looked like,?(178). The fact that Ralph could no longer identify the boys concludes that when civilization is destroyed man reverts to his most primitive nature, thus causing his identity to disintegrates as well.

Another important symbol in Lord of The Flies is the symbol of the fire, which represented the boys?will to be rescued from immorality and returned to the cultured world of civilization. In the beginning, maintaining the fire was the first