Essay --

Daniel UrbinaMr. LaVigneEnglish 101 (WC 1110)4 October 2013Symbolizing SavageryIn William Goldings manufacturer of the Flies, symbolism is portrayed throughout the reinvigorated and impacts the story in such a way that it sculpts almost the entire theme. The boys who are stranded on the island come in contact with many curious elements that Golding uses to symbolize ideas or concepts. Each boy represents a specific element of society, and each object Golding presents throughout the novel also has particular importance to the novel. by means of the use of symbols such as the beast, the wild boars compass point, and even Piggys specs, Golding demonstrates that humans, when liberated from societys rules and taboos, allow their natural capacity for evil to dominate their existence.One of the most all important(p) symbols in Lord of the Flies is the also what gives the novel its name, the pig head. Goldings description of the slaughtered animal head on a sharpened spear is very grap hic and even frightening. The pig head is depicted as dim-eyed, grinning faintly, blood blackening between the teeth, (Golding 137) and the obscenity is swarmed with a black blob of flies that tickled under his nostrils (Golding 138). As a result of this detailed, striking image, the reader becomes aware of the great evil and darkness on the island that the pig head represents. When Simon begins to converse with the seemingly inanimate, devil-like pig head, the source of that wickedness is revealed. Even though the conversation may be entirely a hallucination, Simon learns that the beast, which has long since frightened the other boys on the island, is not an external force. In fact, the head of the severed pig tells him, Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and k... ...d thump of living things, Piggys specs are stolen, leaving him virtually blind (Golding 167). Meanwhile, Jack returns to fastness Rock, trotting steadily, exulting in his achievement, as he has pr actically abandoned all ties to his previous civilized life (Golding 168). Although there are plenty of other allegories important to the book, the symbols that represent the most drastic changes are the beast, the pig head, and Piggys specs. The beast symbolizes the inborn savage nature within all of mankind, and shows that this evil leave alone prevail no matter what. Piggys specs represent science, civilization, and order, but are destroyed due to the overpowering evil in the boys. Golding clearly uses the novel Lord of the Flies to project the unfortunate truth that evil is present within all of humanity, and if let loose, will destroy anything that tries to suppress it.