LOTF Symbols Key
As you read through this key, remember your strategies for recognizing symbols. Something is likely to be a symbol if:
1. It is mentioned in the title of the work.
2. It is a unique physical object.
3. It appears several times in the work.
1. It is mentioned in the title of the work.
2. It is a unique physical object.
3. It appears several times in the work.
The Conch
The conch is a seashell that Ralph and Piggy find on the first day on the island. Ralph blows into the shell to make a trumpeting noise that calls the boys to their first assembly. Later, the boys use it to indicate when someone is allowed to speak. The conch represents order and democracy. Do you remember what happens to the conch near the end of the book? What does the fate of the conch say about order and democracy on the island?
Piggy's Glasses
The glasses are the only way the boys have to start a fire. They use them to focus light from the sun, which gets so hot it can spark a fire. The glasses are not party of the natural world of the island; they came from civilization. They are a symbol of human knowledge. When the boys take the glasses from Piggy, they are separating knowledge from wisdom. What happens the first time the boys start a fire on the island? What does this say about knowledge in the wrong hands?
The Fire
The fire represents the boys' hope that they will be rescued and return to civilization. At the beginning of the novel, Ralph is certain that his father will come rescue them from the island. As they all become deeply involved in the drama of the island, they begin to forget about rescue and the fire often burns out. Eventually, Jack and his hunters gain control of the fire and let it rage out of control. How do you interpret the final chapter in which the fire nearly kills them all?
The Beast
The Beast is a tricky symbol because it doesn't actually exist. The Beast represents the boys' fear of their own savage nature. At first, The Beast doesn't have a physical form and it exists only in the minds of the "littluns." When a dead pilot falls to the island, Samn'Eric mistake the dead body for The Beast, which makes it seem much more real to the older boys. Later, The Lord of the Flies warns Simon that The Beast will devour them all. Does it?
created November 2013
last updated 11/19/2013
last updated 11/19/2013