Metaphor Analysis of Lord of the Flies :: essays research papers

Metaphor AnalysisBeast The beast, the Lord of the Flies, is seen as a received object on the island which frightens the boys. Actually the beast is something internal, the Lord of the Flies is in soul and mind of the boys, leading them to the natural chaos of a society with no reasoning adults. Only Simon understands what the real beast is, but is killed when he tries to tell the boys about the Lord of the Flies.Conch The conch shell symbolizes the law and order of the old adult military man which Piggy tries so desperately to protect. The conch represents all the authority which the boys are so used to obeying. When Jack destroys the conch, anarchy quickly ensues because any hope of strong, central lead has been abandoned. The island society collapses into chaos. Facepaint This is the excuse many of the boys use for living as hunting savages, instead of civilized English citizens. The paint symbolizes the smoke-screen the beast uses to infiltrate the boys souls.Fire/ roll of toba cco The smoke of the signal clap symbolizes the last best hope of the boys being rescued. To Piggy and Ralph, the fire represents the moral influence of their old life in England. When the fire goes out, Ralph loses his bearings, unsure of his next move. The fire is diatonically opposed to hunting, the activity of anarchy on the island. Island Golding purposefully picked an island to be the landing place of the crashed plane because an island is isolated from the rest of society. The boys hold in no contact with the outside world and must look to themselves to solve the problems of their own micro-society. In this way, the island, which symbolizes isolation, serves as a perfect backdrop for the frailties of human temperament which eventually surface. Glasses The glasses symbolize the voice of reason and logic among the boys. Piggy defends his glasses even more than the conch. Piggy, who represents the superego of the boys (and societys) collective personality, uses his glasses to mother solutions to the boys problems.