Symbolism in 'Lord of the Flies'. Review on Lord of the Flies - William Golding

William Golding’s novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ is a phenomenal work. In this novel, Golding traces the roots of evil in the minds of men, through the medium of the children stranded on an island. He wants to show us that man is born into sin & he is a fallen creature by nature. He completely negates the prevailing Rousseauistic notion that man is basically noble if released from the fetters of the society. Golding actually proves the opposite. He depicts that the latent evil in mankind is set free & goes on a rampage in the absence of the restricting norms of the society. Golding therefore uses various symbols to represent his ideas.

The forest on the island itself becomes a symbol of the location of darkness & evil – in the minds of the people. Golding uses the symbol of the forest like Arthur Miller in ‘The Crucible’ & Joseph Conrad in ‘Heart of Darkness’ to depict that evil lies in the minds of the people.

The problems, horrors, nightmares & struggles of the island community formed by the stranded children aged between seven to twelve years are a microcosm of the larger adult world & its problems. Ralph, the elected leader of the children becomes the symbol of the righteous leader in the adult world among a pack of corrupt, power-hungry, wolf-like leaders & whom they hunt. Golding wants to show to the world through Ralph, Piggy & Simon that the voice of reason & truth is always silenced in this world.

Piggy is the voice of rationality. But he is concerned only with the surface truths. He suffers from myopia (literal & implied), obesity & asthma. Everybody ridicules him. Golding shatters the myth that the spectacles are a symbol of intelligence. This can be seen through the fact that inspite of being rational, Piggy does not share the vision of Simon. He is concerned only with external realities. For him,

“Life is scientific, that’s what it is.”

He stands for the animal, the offering to the beast (the sow’s head), the Beast & ironically, the rational being. When he says in denial of the existence of the Beast:

“How could there be? What would the beast eat?’

The boys say, “ Pig…..Piggy…” And indeed Piggy is killed by the pig-eating monster inside the kids.

Simon is the visionary. He is above the rational Piggy, the utilitarian Ralph, and the savage Jack. He knows through his intuitive ability that the evil is inherent in mankind.

“Maybe there’s no beast….maybe its only us.”

He is the voice of truth that is silenced. We can draw parallels for Simon with Jim Casey from John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. Simon, just like Casey, is killed by evil forces for voicing the truth.

The dead parachutist is a sign sent by the adult world on the island, which is mistaken for the beast by the children. The dead parachutist is a symbol of the atrocities & indignities suffered by an individual in the adult world during the war. It is Simon who releases this parachutist from his undignified position.

The Conch is the symbol of authority, which in the beginning manages to restrain & control the children. But when the reign of atavism is unleashed by Jack (who stands for the modern-day corrupt politicians who externalise their own evil into others & demonise them) & his followers, the conch loses its significance. Then it becomes a mere ‘object’ which is broken to pieces along with the shattered brain of Piggy.

The creepers, which the littluns see in the beginning and call them “snake-like things”, show that every Eden has its Serpent.

The Naval Officer and the Ship/Trailer are symbols of the adult world who see the children as only ‘innocent beings’ fail to see the seeds of evil in them. Also the paint which Jack & the savages adorn their faces with is a mask which helps them to displace their evil deeds into some ‘Other’ or the beast.

Finally, the title has biblical overtones. The title is derived from the sow’s head which stands for ‘the Lord of the Flies’ or Beelzebub (the commander of Satan) & is a witness to the nefarious activities of the savages.

The book is full of a variety of symbols, all of which cannot be discussed due to space constraints. To conclude, the book is extremely good & definitely, a must read!