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?