Awesome Paper on Lord of the Flies

Awesome Paper on Lord of the Flies

Symbolism in The Lord of the Flies
In the novel The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there is an extensive use of literary devices and techniques such as foreshadowing and symbolism throughout the book. Many of the symbols he takes advantage of in his text concern the evolution of the boys--- the changes they go through as they degenerate back to a barbarian, animalistic nature. Symbols like the Savages’ face paint, Piggy’s spectacles, and the Beast are utilized to highlight their imminent shift from members of civilized society to barbaric tribes-people, as well as tools used by Golding to illustrate the internal conflict between them as they go through this metamorphosis.
The boy’s use of face paint, especially Jack’s Mask, highlights the ultimate triumph of their savage natures over their civilized tendencies. This is clear when Jack first begins to experiment with face paint early in the novel. Golding makes this clear when, “He capered toward Bill, and the Mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated by shame and self consciousness” (64). Through this quote one can easily infer that having put on the mask, which itself has its own individual identity, Jack can be free from the obligations of civilized society; he is free from the embarrassment and shame that hold back integrated members of a modern community. Furthermore, because of his newfound freedom, he is free to act out on his emotions and animalistic tendencies without being judged. Because of this, face paint and Jack’s Mask serve as a gateway through which the children’s barbarianism can be expressed freely. In addition, the proliferation of face paint in the boys, especially when they join Jack’s tribe, illustrate their overriding savage natures. Next, Piggy’s comments on the feast and the boys who participated in it builds on the correlation between face paint and savagery when he states, “Well we won’t be painted... because we aren’t savages” (172). As more...

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