Symbolism in Lord of the Flies ALLEGORY

SUCKS TO YOUR ALLEGORY

READER RESPONSE: YOU ADD MEANING TO WHAT YOU READ (WITHIN LIMITS)

There are LOTS of ways to read the symbolism in LotF, LOTS of possible allegorical meanings Symbols can mean more than one thing What’s most important for us is to examine the ways in which the symbols interact with one another. Example: Piggy symbolizes X Jack symbolizes Y By having Jack bully Piggy, Golding shows that X can overcome Y LOTS OF WAYS TO READ LORD OF THE FLIES

Conch = order, civilization, ideals Rocks = destruction, violence Coral Island = Idealism, naiveté Grown Ups = order, rationality Woods = subconscious mind Granitite Platform = order, government Mountain = Hope Hunting = Growing savagery Sow = Mother figure Masks = Anonymity, freedom from personal responsibility SOME BASIC SYMBOLS

Island = Eden: A pure, garden paradise without the sins of society Children = Innocent? Simon = Jesus (Simon Peter from the Bible is the “rock” Christ builds his church on); he has mystic powers (can prophecy the future, communicate with the devil); he cares for less fortunate; he is a carpenter; he dies after refusing to give in to the devil’s demands Lord of the Flies = The devil (Beelzebub); he’s the reason things are “no go,” the reason things get bad; he’s inside of people (Original Sin). Ralph = Everyman Jack = Those who are corrupted by sin, who give in to the devil BIBLICAL ALLEGORY

The boys represent an internal struggle between the id, ego, and superego Jack = Id (passion, fun, violence, sex) Ralph = Ego (Conscious voice of reason, seeks interaction with others within socially acceptable limits) Piggy = Superego (Maintains societal values, uninfluenced by others) Simon = Superego (Maintains religious/ spiritual values, uninfluenced by others) THE BOYS REPRESENT PARTS OF HUMAN PSYCHE

Conch = Rules, Order, Ideals Piggy = Science (“Life is scientific” can’t understand other people, unable to accept personal responsibility) Piggy’s Specs = Technology ; Science’s ability to clearly see society Ralph = Charismatic political leader Jack = Dictator Simon = Religious values, rejected in favor of science/ technology Simon and Piggy are foils – Priest and scientist POLITICAL ALLEGORY

Remember that human flaws hold us back from achieving arete Dionysus = wine, fertility, dirtiness, fluids, passion Nietzsche saw this as a movement towards chaos and violence, but also as an integral part of human nature that we cannot reject Apollo = Clear, rational thinking, the sun, cleanliness, lack of emotion Pagan elements like sacrifices CLASSICAL TRAGEDY

They self-monitor for a little while (Roger throws rocks to miss, Jack can’t kill the piglet, they make rules and sort of obey them) Overtime they realize there are no consequences Without someone watching, the boys go one of two ways: Do what’s best for others (Ralph, Simon, Piggy) Do what’s best for themselves (Jack, Roger) These sometimes overlap (Ralph and Piggy help kill Simon, Ralph enjoys hunting) Panoptic Mechanism (Michel Foucault): By suggesting that you are being watched, authority figures can alter your behavior You monitor your own behavior because you assume someone else is also monitoring it An actual “Watcher” is not necessary to maintain order, but the illusion of one is Overtime, you internalize the idea that you are being watched WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE ARE NOT WATCHED?