William Golding's "Lord of the Flies"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that 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, rich in symbolism. The author points out that there are three significant allegorical symbols in the book: The conch, the pig, and the island itself. The paper relates that the talisman of the pig represents the boys' power and self-sufficiency, but, like the pig itself, also symbolizes a potentially darker side based on a lack of respect for the sanctity of other living things.

From the Paper:

"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 summons the boys to discuss, reason, think, and decide together. As such, it is an instrument of democracy, as well as an instrument of authority."

More papers on William Golding's "Lord of the Flies":

• Book Review # 66031 : "Lord of the Flies"
• Analytical Essay # 51561 : "Lord of the Flies"
• Comparison Essay # 103901 : "Lord of the Flies" and "1984"
• Analytical Essay # 63096 : "William Golding's "The Lord of the Flies"

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