Verified Document

Lord Of The Flies Term Paper

Lord of the Flies Introduction stating the topic and ending with a thesis

Topic and concluding sentences for all body paragraphs

Three examples for each body paragraph concluding paragraph that restates thesis and sums up essay

Transitional phrases at the beginning of each body paragraph

EACH ESSAY MUST INCLUDE THREE (3) QUOTES FROM THE NOVEL>

Put each quote in quotation marks " "

Cite each quote by chapter and page number.

Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel because there are many symbols in the novel that support the main theme Discuss the main theme of the novel and how it is supported through the use of symbols. (You will need to discuss three symbols)

Symbolism in Lord of the Flies

William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, a story about English schoolboys trapped on a Pacific island, and how the civilization they try to create disintegrates, is an allegorical novel. Webster's New American Dictionary defines "allegory" as: "the expression though symbolism of truths or generalizations about the human condition" (p. 14). The novel is rich in symbolism. I will describe the allegorical significance of three symbols within Lord of the Flies: the conch; the pig, and the island itself.

The sound of the conch is used as a signal to call the boys together, and therefore both the conch and the particular boy using it have symbolic authority over the rest, the conch as a tool only the person in authority is entitled to use, and the user as an authority figure. In that sense, the conch serves the same symbolic function as a military bugle, or in ancient times, a call to worship, such as the ancient Jewish blowing of the shofar (a sheep's horn), which is still reenacted on the Jewish Day of Atonement. (Yom Kippur). The conch...

As such, it is an instrument of democracy, as well as an instrument of authority.
When the conch sounds, the boys are called together from the jungle. When Piggy asks at the beginning of the story: "Where's the man with the megaphone?" (p. 2), it is the megaphone rather than the man, a similar sort of instrument to the conch used to summon people together about which Piggy inquires; a megaphone is a unifying symbol. Later, the conch will serve that function. The sound of the conch signifies both power and submission (that is, someone calls, and others are called), but also togetherness, communication, and consensus as opposed to rivalry, combat, and isolation.

A second major symbol within Lord of the Flies is the pig, which functions literally and as a metaphor. The pig itself, the symbolic talisman of it, and even Piggy's name, all serve separate yet related symbolic purposes. Literally, the pig is food and sustenance, and its meat enables survival. Its killing represents mastery and self-sufficiency, the necessities of manhood. On the other hand, the killing of the pig and its bloody aftermath unleashes frightening, primitive, potentially dangerous instincts within some of the boys, and Jack in particular. As Golding states, of Jack, "His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink" (Chapter 4). This implies a blood-thirstiness within Jack, and ominously, since it further suggests his capacity to kill for power, sport, cruelty: motives other than survival. This is especially frightening since Jack insists on leadership, and will bully to obtain and maintain…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

'Allegory." Webster's New American Dictionary. New York: Merriam-Webster,

1995. 14.

Golding, William. Lord of the Files. New York: Riverhead, 1997.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Lord of the Flies Main
Words: 3244 Length: 9 Document Type: Essay

Piggy even blamed Simon. Piggy said, "It was an accident…that what it was, an accident. Coming in the dark -- he hadn't no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty. He asked for it… We was on the outside. We never done nothing, we never seen nothing" (220-221). Piggy dies during a fight between Ralph and Jack, which had been brewing the whole time they are

Lord of the Flies by
Words: 1385 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

They can no longer function as a team, because they have taken on the characteristics of violent animals whose only goal is to survive at any cost. They do not care that the four cannot do it alone, so they have already lost many of the important aspects of society that hold it together - a sense of teamwork and the common good. Simon and Maurice arrived. Ralph looked at

Lord of the Flies: An
Words: 1358 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Jack discovers that he is not simply a leader, but that leadership makes personal demands on one's character that are not always enjoyable. Jack realizes that the boys cannot play all day, or forget about civilization, like schoolboys on a fun holiday. Instead, they must engage in the serious preparations of surviving on an abandoned island. Jack also realizes his limits as a leader as the group's fears conflict

Lord of the Flies Ralph
Words: 932 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Initiation therefore helps the boys establish their identities and also creates social hierarchy. The conflict between Jack and Ralph serves also as a type of initiation: a battle between two individuals. Initiations represent a transition from one state of mind or being to another. Simon's vision is one of the most powerful initiations in Lord of the Flies. The vision, which lends the novel its name, has a supernatural component

Lord of the Flies William Golding's Novel
Words: 775 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Lord of the Flies William Golding's novel Lord of the Flied tells the story about what would happen if a plane full of young proper English school boys crash landed on an island without any adult supervision whatsoever. It is extremely important to the narrative that there are no adults on the island with the children. As adults, people are accustomed to the laws and moral rules of the society in

Lord of the Flies --
Words: 1819 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Jack Jack attended Cambridge University, and obtained a 'first' in history. He did then attempt to join the army, but was rejected as physically unfit. While at Cambridge, he contracted a very violent case of pneumonia, which weakened his constitution. To this day, Jack says that he is bitter, never having served in the army. At present, Jack teaches history as well as leads the choir at one of the most

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now