1. Symbolism and Allegory Discussion

2. CIVILIZATION VS. SAVAGERY DO NOW: In your opinion, do all human beings have inherent savage-like (selfish, immoral, violent, sadistic, etc.) impulses and desires? Why or why not? Explain.

3. CIVILIZATION VS. SAVAGERY The central concern of Lord of the Flies is the conflict between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings: the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully and follow morals, and the instinct to gratify one’s immediate desires, act violently and embrace chaos. This conflict might be expressed in a number of ways: civilization vs. savagery, order vs. chaos, reason vs. impulse, law vs. anarchy, or the broader heading of good vs. evil. The conflict between these two instincts is the driving force of the novel. Golding represents the conflict between civilization and savagery in the conflict between the novel’s two main characters: Ralph, the protagonist, who represents civilization and leadership; and Jack, the antagonist, who represents savagery and the desire for power. As we discuss the following SYMBOLS in the text, complete the consensus answer boxes in your SYMBOL JOURNAL:

4. Object Symbols: The Conch Shell Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: The conch shell represents ORDER. Explanation: Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach at the start of the novel and use it to summon the boys together after the crash separates them. The shell effectively governs the boys’ meetings, for the boy who holds the shell holds the right to speak. As the boys descend into savagery, the conch shell loses its power and influence among them. Ralph clutches the shell desperately when he talks about his role in murdering Simon. Later, the other boys ignore Ralph and throw stones at him when he attempts to blow the conch in Jack’s camp. The boulder that Roger rolls onto Piggy also crushes the conch shell, signifying the end of order and civilized behavior among the boys on the island.

5. Object Symbols: The Signal Fire Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: The signal fire represents a measure of the boys’ connection to civilization. Explanation: The signal fire burns on the mountain, and later on the beach, to attract the notice of passing ships that might be able to rescue the boys. As a result, the signal fire becomes a measure of the boys’ connection to the civilized world. In the early parts of the novel, the fact that the boys maintain the fire is a sign that they want to be rescued and return to society. When the fire burns low or goes out, it is because the boys have lost sight of their desire to be rescued and have accepted their savage lives on the island.

6. Object Symbols: Piggy’s Glasses Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: Piggy’s glasses represent the technology and science of civilized society. Explanation: Piggy is the most intelligent, rational boy in the group, and his glasses are pivotal to the boys’ survival. This symbolic significance is clear from the start of the novel, when the boys use the lenses from Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight and start a fire. When the glasses break due to Jack’s violence, it reflects the beginning of the boys’ reversion from civilized society back to primal, savage instincts. When Jack steals the glasses to use for his own savage purposes it shows that science and technology aren’t the only things which make a society civilized.

7. Object Symbols: The Beastie Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: The beastie represents the destructive power of fear. Explanation: The imaginary beast that frightens all the boys is the incarnation of the boys’ real and natural fears (resulting from being stranded on the island surrounded by the unknown in the midst of a war). The boys are afraid of the beast, but Simon realizes that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. As the boys grow increasingly afraid, their desperation makes them more savage, causing their belief in the beast to grow stronger. Jack—one of the most savage boys in the group— benefits from the boys’ fear because he offers them protection from the beast. Under Jack’s leadership, the boys begin leaving the beast sacrifices and treating it as a god. The boys’ behavior is what brings the beast into existence, so the more savagely the boys act, the more real the beast seems to become.

8. Object Symbols: The “Lord of the Flies” (the pig’s head) Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: The “Lord of the Flies” represents the evil in human nature. Explanation: The “Lord of the Flies” is the bloody, severed pig’s head that Jack impales on a stake in the jungle as an offering to the beast. This complicated symbol becomes the most important image in the novel when Simon confronts the sow’s head in the glade and it seems to speak to him, telling him that evil lies within every human heart and promising to have some “fun” with him. (This foreshadows Simon’s death in the following chapter.) In this way, the Lord of the Flies becomes an even more terrifying entity than the beast and a manifestation of the evil side of human nature.

9. Character Symbols: Jack Key Quotes? Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: Jack represents the savagery in human nature. Explanation: Jack is the first boy to revert to his primal, savage instincts in order to survive. He is the first to paint his face and fully embrace the savage side of his personality. He is the leader of the new tribe whose only concerns are survival and fun, not order and rescue. http://brainiac6techgirl.deviantart.com/art/Lord-of-the-Flies-Jack-166837893

10. Character Symbols: Ralph Key Quotes? Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: Ralph represents the civilization in human nature. Explanation: Ralph is the original leader, elected when the boys are in their most civilized state. His main priority is the boys’ rescue and return to civilization. He is the opposite of Jack and fights to resist savage behaviors in favor of the rules. http://lotftrygg.blogspot.com/

11. Character Symbols: Simon Key Quotes? Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: Simon represents the innocence in human nature. Explanation: Simon is the only boy who remains innocent and never gives into the savagery on the island. He is constantly kind and helpful. His death shows Golding’s thoughts about how long innocence can last in the face of savagery and evil.

12. Character Symbols: Piggy Key Quotes? Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: Piggy represents the intelligence and reason in human nature. Explanation: Piggy is the source of all the good ideas on the island, and he constantly tries to remind the others of what is rational and logical. Without him (and his specs) the boys might not have survived—let alone remained civilized—for as long as they had. Piggy’s death and the aftermath show Golding’s thoughts regarding what happens when intelligence and reason are overcome by savagery and evil.

13. Character Symbols: Roger Key Quotes? Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: Roger represents the brutality in human nature. Explanation: In some ways, Roger is worse than Jack. He is the only boy on the island responsible for two deaths, and he tortures Sam and Eric, who refer to him as “a terror.” While Jack is cruel in order to gain power, Roger harms others simply because he can. http://www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/332995613

14. Character Symbols: The Littluns Key Quotes? Your initial thoughts? Consensus Answer: To the extent that the boys’ society resembles a political state, the littluns are the general population, while the older boys represent the government. Explanation: The littluns participate in electing a chief, and they have a write to speak at meetings, but the older boys make all of the real decisions on the island. The littluns are rarely treated as individuals but rather an anonymous group. They blindly follow whoever is in charge at any given time.

15. ALLEGORY An allegory is a story illustrating an idea or a moral principle in which objects take on symbolic meanings; a story that was written for readers to gain knowledge beyond the basic plot. Lord of the Flies Allegory Now that we have read the entire novel and discussed the various symbols, consider what basic view of human nature William Golding is trying to communicate through his characters in Lord of the Flies. Write a well-constructed allegorical statement that conveys Golding’s perspective. (*TIP* - An allegorical statement is essentially a theme statement, and must follow the same rules!)

16. ALLEGORY Now, explain the thinking behind your allegorical statement by providing examples from the novel. Write at least three complete sentences.