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Writing about this topic I have to first focus on two things so my explanation of allegories that are present in “Lord of the Flies” can be received clearly. Firstly, the book was written in a way that establishes the ground for an enormous amount of allegories, and I will go into the depth of their meaning to explain them. Secondly, we have to understand what exactly is an allegory. I’ve chosen this topic because it is my favorite literary device, it uses places, characters, and objects to give us a broader meaning of the issues which we all face, even if we are unaware of them. By allegories all people could understand complex or even hidden meanings through simple imagery, that’s why it is my most beloved literary device, it simply can teach all people how to think deeply, and it develops our creativity in the context of very important worldly aspects.
Coming back to my explanation why is the book written by William Golding an example of a perfect elaborate allegory? I could either go by each object and character, or explain the allegories by topic, yet I will try to combine both of these ideas. Yet before I go down to the details, I must address the fact that “Lord of the Flies” is one enormous allegory in itself. Without even focusing on single symbols the reader can discover that the boys deserted on the island representing the whole of humanity, and the island they are on is our whole world. The two tribes which are formed by various children become the two governments, and countries. That concludes my idea that when we see them fight it’s equivalent to countries waging war on each other. Yet there is one time when the book breaks the allegory, and shows the true world to the reader, at the end of the novel when all the fictional and allegorical bubble around the island just pops. This device was implemented so that the reader can see the real message of the allegory, those boys were finally rescued, and there comes the question, who will save the grownups?
The first great allegory to which we are introduced takes the form of an object. The conch is a symbol of civilized society. When I read the novel, the conch brought to my mind also the idea of free speech and the civil process. It emphasizes the importance of a democratic society, of order. Almost everyone is happy at first to use the conch because it helped the boys establish a society that is a familiar British one. This shell actually has not only allegorical power, in the book it is used by Ralph to summon all the kids to call a meeting, and it lets them embrace the “democracy”, and later on, this conch introduces order into the discourse – only the one with the shell can speak. The conch would not be important by itself, it is only valuable because the boys initially agree on the rules, and their enthusiasm for this idea “imbues” this object with this power. It also takes me to the conclusion of this allegory, it may symbolize power, but it also symbolizes vulnerability. It may represent this civil discourse on this island, but it works only if the kids respect the values it speaks for. Talking about this we have to understand that it is only a shell, it is fragile in both ways, literally and figuratively. Supporting my idea that it is fragile – the time Jack uses violence, he loses the belief in the conch, and it becomes useless to him, it represents fully the time he raids Ralph’s camp and ignores this “powerful” object and steals only Piggy’s glasses. The conch has only metaphorical value, it holds value only as a symbol, but we as civilized human beings have to remember that it makes it enormously more important to our lives than utilities.
Fine allegory could be found in something very basic, signal fire. It burns on the side of the island to attract the attention of passing-by ships. It symbolizes the idea of rescue, of their connection to the civilization which is at the time lost. At first, the boys focus on maintaining the fire, so we can see that they have not yet lost the desire to be civilized, yet as the book progresses and more and more savagery comes out of the characters and the fire starts to burn low, or even goes out. The lack of fire is an allegory for the boys accepting this inhumane life, it represents the power of civilization left on this island, and what I really find ironic, at the end of the novel, a different type of fire (but still a fire) summons the rescue, the civilization back to them.
There are numerous political allegories and one of which is even a character in the book – Piggy. In my opinion, piggy represents somewhat a political advisor like the prime minister is to the king/queen of England. Even the assemblies at the beginning of the book look a little bit like gatherings of parliament. But there is one important object connected to Piggy, his glasses. They symbolize the scientific advance of humanity. I could argue that this item changes also its meaning through the novel, maybe at first, they could embody hope – when kids discover the ability to make fire thanks to them. When in the novel Jack hits piggy, and his glasses go flying and break, it can represent the fall of rational thought, and civilization as a whole. There is one very powerful moment in the book I would like to talk about, in the first chapter Ralph asks Piggy about his parents and talks about their grim fates. During this moment he takes his glasses off, which demonstrates his difficulty in reasoning this hard, emotional situation.
Let’s take a look at the name of the book “Lord of the Flies”, but what or who exactly is this “lord”? It’s the beast in which existence the boys believe through most parts of the novel. This imaginary beast is frightening to those kids. It represents the primal instincts, the savagery that is present in all of us. It is apparent that as kids become more primal, the beast becomes stronger, there is even a part in the book when they have fallen so much into animal-like behavior that they become treating it like a totemic god. Beast becomes real at the exact moment the boys in their primal rage kill Simon, this act brings it into existence. But this threat can also be an allegory to the way how totalitarian regimes work, Jack uses this idea to manipulate all the other kids into gaining and maintaining power on the island. This is very similar to how propaganda worked in totalitarian regimes. So if I think about it more broadly, it represents the evil of human nature, the evil that becomes more real the more we believe in it. The fear feeds the beast.
Discussing the topic of allegories in this book we must focus also on the characters. For example, the protagonist Ralph who is elected as the first leader of the kid’s “tribe” actually represents order, good leadership, and civilization. He focused on building huts and maximizing the chances of being rescued from the island rather than on playing like other kids. Although he is the only one who worries over the welfare of other children, and his thoughts of civilization last longer than for any other character, he is not decisive when facing evil. I can compare this character to real-life history, for example, if we think of Jack as Hitler and Ralph British Prime Minister of pre-WW2 times – Nevile Chamberlain. It was his policy of appeasement to Hitler that eventually led to one of the greatest tragedies in modern history. We can see this similarity between Ralph and Chamberlain throughout the almost whole novel. When he was the chief of kids and Jack questioned his authority in most cases he was reluctant to fight him, he could challenge and defeat him once and for all, yet he does nothing. This attitude contributes to an increase in ferocity and violence in Jack and the other kids.
Another good example of an allegorical character is Piggy, that embodies intellect and rationalism. He is the first one to sense the seriousness of the situation the kids find themselves in after being stranded on the island. We can see this calm rationalism in small details, after all, he is the first to suggest that they should gather all scattered boys. He even teaches Ralph how to use the conch. What I find interesting is that all those allegories actually connect, Piggy – a symbol of intellect gives the idea of creating order to Ralph who is a civilization and good leadership, and to do so he uses conch – free speech, and civil order.
Jack is the antagonist, he is created in such a way as to be susceptible to evil within himself. He is savage and a dictatorship. This strong-willed and egomaniacal boy is mostly associated with obscurity and shadows. He only claims to hunt for food and yet this is only the pretext, he wants to quench his thirst for blood. When he is freed from the chains of civilization, he can finally show his true evil. When he puts the paint on his face his bloodlust finds no bounds and he can become more savage and violent than ever, leading his fellow hunters in the hunt for not only pigs but also his fellow companions such as Simon, Piggy, and almost Ralph. He represents more than anyone in the novel the theme of reversion to savagery. He believes that the only way of getting things done is to compel, he doesn’t believe in asking or persuading, at the end of the novel he becomes the real dictator ruling through terror and fear. This character can be seen as the prime example of how primitive desires and evil can be released when the restrictions of civilization and society are no longer present.
All those characters, objects, and even places possess recognizable traits that can be easily put into real life. The whole book is one big allegory, full of hidden meanings and moralization. William Golding uses this literary device to enrich the person who is reading this story, This symbolism undeniably conveys specific meanings for the readers that relate to morals, politics, and even religion.
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