Connecting the dots on the beast. Symbols in Lord of the Flies Connecting the dots on the beast.

The Conch

Clothes When the boys are fully dressed in their uniforms, they are closest to ordered society. As the novel progresses and they loose their clothes and paint their bodies, they are going into reverse evolution, becoming animals.

FIRE ZHope. ZThe fire is their chance of getting rescued. The more they keep it lit the more chance they have of rescue. Notice the first time it goes out corresponds with the first time Jack and his choir kill (and forget to follow the rules).

The Littluns Z Innocence. ZPiggy is the only who takes care of the boys. A littlun is the first to die on the island. As the novel unfolds, littluns get sick, go crazy, get lost, and die. This corresponds with the breakdown of the social structure on the island. As the boys succumb to the beast, their innocence gets sick and dies.

Piggy ’ s broken glasses Wilful destruction of insight and vision. Jack the violent breaks Piggy ’ s glasses strictly to humiliate him.

The Parachutist Another representation of the beast. The adult world beyond the island is at war, struggling with its own beast. This dead pilot is a symbol of the destruction that is going on there. Instead of informing the boys, the body scares the boys more. It operates as a kind of infection. When Sam and Eric see the body of the pilot and mistake it for the beast, that is what really convinces everyone there is a beast that they can see.

The Pig Head on a stick A symbol of the beast. It represents the hunter ’ s increasing enjoyment of violence. It gives physical shape to the fear and panic that gave birth to the idea of the beast. From that idea, the boys belief in it is what made it real. Because the boys fear it, it controls their behaviour. They perceive that it is something outside of them but it is really the fear that is inside them. That ’ s what Simon means when he says, “ The beast is us. ”

Reason He is the thinker and does little else. He represent the intelligence of human beings. He also represents what happens when reason is ignored and overwhelmed.

Simon Spiritual aspect of human beings, where reason and physical experience come together. In the novel, there is a season where the beast speaks directly to Simon because Simon is the only one who sees him clearly. Simon understands everything but is overwhelmed by the violence that has erupted from fear. He is very much the Christ figure. Spiritual aspect of human beings, where reason and physical experience come together. In the novel, there is a season where the beast speaks directly to Simon because Simon is the only one who sees him clearly. Simon understands everything but is overwhelmed by the violence that has erupted from fear. He is very much the Christ figure.

JACK Animal lust for power. Jack values the killing of the pig more than he cares that they have missed an opportunity to be saved. He provides for the boys ’ animal needs by feeding them, and he uses that to gain power over them. Jack represents what lies beneath the surface of every human being, the worst a human being can be.

Ralph The protagonist. He is the most complete representation of the human being, a balance of the other three. He has reason like Piggy. He understands Simon. He is willing to hunt the beast with Jack. At the start of the novel, Ralph represents the human being in society and the hazards he faces represent the hazards human society faces.

The Beast- EvilAll of the evil in the novel comes from human beings. The evil gains strength from the boys’ fear. As it gains strength it inspires more fear.

THREE IRONIES At the start of the novel Jack is the most ordered of anyone. He is the closest to organized human society. He is the leader of the choir who march and dress as an elite group. He says that the English are the best at everything. Yet, he is responsible for order being destroyed and inspiring the most fear. He quickly becomes the most barbaric.

Piggy is a shambles at the beginning but he is the most understanding of man’s responsibility to man. If the boys stopped believing in the beast, it would cease to exist.

The boys land innocent They eagerly cast off the adult world of order They create their own order They begin to fear the unknown They turn their fear into a beast They are consumed by their beast RECAP

SYMBOLS The boys represent human kind Their society represents human society Their struggles represent mankind’s struggle to survive Mankind’s greatest danger is the threat against itself. The boys represent human kind Their society represents human society Their struggles represent mankind’s struggle to survive Mankind’s greatest danger is the threat against itself.

Bibliography ZPig dot to dot: ZSources for Photos: ZConch: ZChoir robes: ZGlasses: ZJack: ZPiggy, Ralph, the beast, and Simon: ZThe Parachutist: ZHitler: d_Reich d_Reich ZStalin: ZIdi Amin: ZSaddam Hussein and Don Rumsfeld: ZOliver Cromwell: ZPol Pot: ZHiroshima Blast: ZIvan the Terrible: