Lord of the Flies Symbolism
IDEA English
Mr. Mooney
Period 1
By:
Anthony Vargas
Bryan McCann
Ian Sellar
Jared Tate
Patrick Warren
The Scar I
• The plane that the children were in was shot down.
When it went down, it crashed through the trees,
causing a huge wreck and making a “scar” that
runs through the island.
• The scar symbolizes the destruction that man
causes without even trying. It is also a memorial
of how they became stranded on the island, alone
and hopeless.
The Scar II
• “Jack pointed down, ‘That’s where we
landed.’ Beyond falls and cliffs, there was a
gash visible in the trees; there were the
splintered trunk and then the drag, leaving
only a fringe of palm between the scar and the
sea.” (Golding 28)
• The words “cliffs”, “gash”, and “splintered”
use cacophony to display the harshness of the
scene and the severity of human influence on
nature.
• “All around him the long scar smashed into
the jungle…” (Golding 1)
• With the use of the word “smashed”, Golding
emphasizes the violence with which the boys
were thrust onto the island.
The Id I
• In Freudian psychology, the id is part of the
subconscious that embodies the chaotic animal
instinct. It is the nature of man that becomes more
apparent as they spend more time on the island.
• The id does not symbolize anything, but many
things on the island are symbolic of the id. Roger,
Jack, and the savages manifest their id through
their hunting and war paint.
The Id II
• “Jack planned his new face. He made one cheek
and one eye socket white, then he rubbed red over
the other half of his face and slashed a black bar of
charcoal across, from right ear to the left jaw. He
looked in the pool for his reflection… he looked in
astonishment, no longer at himself but at an
awesome stranger… His laughter became a
bloodthirsty snarling… The mask was a thing on
its own, behind which Jack hid.” (Golding 62-63)
• The paint allows Jack to escape his civilized form
and embody the id.
The Id III
• “At once the crowd surged after it, poured down
the rock, leapt onto the beast, screamed, struck,
bit, tore. There were no words and no movements
but the tearing of teeth and claws.” (Golding 136)
• The asyndeton here portrays the id’s affect on the
tribe’s self control and order. Everything happens
quickly, precipitously, without thought.
The Fire I
• The fire is necessary for cooking and preparing
meat, but it also destroys. It also destroys, as seen
later in the story. The fire symbolizes many
different things throughout the story.
• The fire is first seen as salvation and security.
Ralph and the other boys strongly believe that the
fire was only the way to get rescued. “The fire is
the most important thing on the island. How can
we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t
keep a fire going?” (Golding 80)
The Fire Part II
• The fire also symbolizes destruction. In the
beginning, the fire devastates the island when it
escapes the boys’ control. It kills one of the
littluns and burns acres of the island. “Acres of
black and yellow smoke rolled steadily toward the
sea. At the sight of the flames and the irresistible
course of the fire, the boys broke into shrill,
excited cheering. The flames, as though they were
a kind of wildlife, crept as a jaguar creeps on its
belly toward a line of birch-like saplings that
fledged an outcrop of the pink rock.” (Golding
44)
Fire Part III
• Lastly, even if the kids did not want to admit it,
the fire was a symbol of hope and protection. “We
don’t want another night without without fire.
[Ralph] looked around guiltily at the three boys
standing by. This was the first time he had
admitted the double function of the fire. Certainly
one was to send up a beckoning column of smoke;
but the other was to be a hearth now and a comfort
until the slept.” (Golding 162)
The Fire Part IV
• “The fire is the most important thing. Without the
fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on war
paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire
burning. The fire is the most important thing on
the island…” (Golding 126)
• As long as the fire is burning, it keeps the boys
civilized and prevents their id from surfacing.
Fire symbolizes all civilization, order, and a
chance of survival. Also, the importance of the
fire, according to the boys, declines as the boys
feel less of a need to be rescued.
The Mock Hunt I
• The mock hunt is where the hunters and
Ralph are hunting the east and the boar
ruches by, injuring Jack. Ralph is able to
strike the beast with his spear, and in his
excitement, he constantly reminds the
others of his personal victory. The boys
throw Robert into the ring, which begins to
chant and dance as their id surfaces.
The Mock Hunt II
• “Robert snarled at him. Ralph entered into the
play and everybody laughed. Presently they were
all jabbing at Robert who made mock rushes. Jack
shouted, ‘Make a ring!’ The circle moved in and
round. Robert squealed in mock terror, then in
real pain. ‘Ow! Stop it! You’re hurting!’ The butt
end of a spear fell on his back as he blundered
among them. ‘Hold him!’ They got his arms and
legs. Ralph, carried away by a sudden, thick
excitement, grabbed Eric’s spear and jabbed at
Robert with it.” (Golding 114)
The Mock Hunt III
• The mock hunt is a perfect symbol of the id.
Even the symbol of rationality, Ralph, gets
so caught up with the whole ordeal that he
himself loses his innocence, and for a
moment, becomes a savage.
Conclusion I
• The scar from their plane crash represents their
arrival on the island as civilized humans. After a
short time, the fire becomes their only protection
from themselves, each other, and the id. The
mock hunt begins as a playful game, but soon
escalates to a loss of innocence and represents the
id’s progress within them.
• “…Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the
darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the
air of the true, wise friend called…”
Conclusion II
…Cameron’s laptop. (Golding 182)
• “All things truly wicked start from an
innocence.” Ernest Hemingway
Bibliography
• Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New
York: Penguin Books, 1999. 1-182.
• "Google Image Search." Google Images.
2008. 19 Jan. 2008
<http://images.google.com/>.
• Phillips, Brian. SparkNote on
Lord of the
Flies. 22 Jan.
2008
<http://www.sparknotes.com/
lit/flies/>.