Lord of the Flies Essay - 1374 Words

Sam Brandt English 10 Honors Ms. Hedrick 8 October 2010 Fundamentally Virtuous As Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung once said, â€Å"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of a mere being.† In other words, man’s purpose in life is to help one another find the good in a world of malevolence. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, it becomes apparent to the reader the contrast in shades between the good and the bad. Each person here on Earth has two parts of his or her being: light and dark. It is the side people choose which defines them. Take for example Ronald Reagan. He could have easily continued with his successful career as a movie star. But instead, he chose to move†¦show more content†¦The conch symbolizes a variety of things, like power, sanity, leadership, and civilization. The author writes, â€Å"and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch† (Golding 22). Had Ralph not discovered the conch, who know what kind of chaos t he small island might have experienced. The shell is revered and respected, even when the two rivals are fighting. Even the little kids know that when someone is holding the conch, they are not to speak. The shattering of the conch shell symbolizes the end of sanity on the island. Similarly, Ralph, Piggy, and Simon all symbolize different parts of ‘light’. Ralph is the one who keeps stability. He is the leader; he keeps order as much as possible. Piggy is the brains behind the vast majority of the operations on the island. He is clever, and without him, there is a high chance the condition on the island would have deteriorated much more quickly. As for Simon, he shows a sort of connection to nature, an innocence. For instance, â€Å" The candle- buds opened their wide white flowers glimmering under the light that pricked down from the first stars. Their scent spilled out into the air and took possession of the island† (Golding 57). Simon is arguably the most agre eable individual on the island. He does not fight or quarrel, and the reader often sees him doing nice things for the other boys on the island. Without this ancient bond with nature and goodness in society as a whole, one would find that the world would be full ofShow MoreRelatedLord of The Flies Essay1673 Words   |  7 PagesLord of the Flies was published in 1954 by William Golding. Today Lord of the Flies is a well known literary criticism. Many schools require their students to read Lord of the Flies because of the literary criticisms in the book. In this paper three themes or literary criticisms are talked about: good vs. evil, symbolism of characters, and maturity of characters. Another topic in Goldings Lord of the Flies is the battle of good vs. evil. Everything seems to start out just fine on the island; theRead MoreLord of the Flies Essay523 Words   |  3 Pages Lord of the Flies Essay â€Å"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend Piggy’(Golding 202). Peter Brooks movie and Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, express the idea of evil in human nature and through the evils we see the boys on the island change over time. Both the movie directed by a Peter Brooks and the novel written by William Golding demonstrate the defects of human nature through the characters dialogue andRead More Lord of the Flies Essay1446 Words   |  6 Pagesbe symbolic of the tangible as well as the non-tangible. In addition, characters can often be looked at with a psychological approach to literature in order to better determine or understand their symbolic significance. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, special symbolic significance may be found in the characters, Piggy, Ralph, and Jack. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Piggy, the heavy, asthmatic, nearsighted boy, was often teased and ridiculed, however Golding made it obvious to the reader thatRead MoreLord Of The Flies Essay819 Words   |  4 PagesPranti Ahmed Blue 4 British Literature February 16, 2015 Lord of the flies Individual Essay Many critics argue that the book â€Å"Lord of The Flies† portrays too much of a frightening side of human nature and young people should not be exposed to such things nor should they be expected to understand it. While it is true the book has a rather gruesome/violent tone that’s no justification in depriving young people of any book at all. The only way anyone is able to understandRead MoreLord of the Flies Essay2000 Words   |  8 PagesLord of the Flies Essay The Power and Theme of the Conch Shell The novel; â€Å"Lord of the Flies† is a highly renowned novel written by William Golding and published in 1954. The novel embodies many themes and events that are mysterious and unanticipated for the reader. During the course of the essay I will explain how the conch shell that is found at the foundation of the first chapter plays a significant role throughout the novel and how diverse themes are brought on from this influential shellRead More Lord of the Flies Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesLord of the Flies The main theme of Lord of the Flies is that moral nature is not instinctive in mankind. There is a capacity for evil in all people, and their morality is superficial. Nonetheless, it is this moral integrity that must continue in order for a person to be ethical, for society to be maintained, and to keep society from falling in on itself. Society holds everyone together. Without the rules and the structure, evil in everyone becomes more prominent, and ideals, values, and basicsRead More The Lord of the Flies Essay1220 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Golding’s masterful use of symbolism is exemplified in his book Lord of the Flies, in which he uses masks to represent . These masks come in many forms, and by careful study of events throughout Golding’s novel, one discovers their significance. Physical masks are used by many characters such as Jack and Piggy, and they are perhaps the least ambiguous forms found in the book. The idea of a mask encompasses more than just the se literal interpretations, however. Metaphorical masks are usedRead MoreLord of the Flies Essay1218 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the novel Lord of the Flies, various views and motifs are portrayed. Of these views and motifs, the main message which is illustrated is one that questions society. It is clear from the very beginning that is a message conveyed in this novel. On the whole, Golding is portraying a good versus evil which are represented by Jack and Ralph. In Lord of the Flies a variety of ideas can be extracted on what the message Golding is trying to show. Golding wrote this novel in order to show the basicRead More Lord of the flies essay562 Words   |  3 Pages Lord of the Flies Project nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"Breakdowns in society result when people avoid their responsibilities to the community to pursue their own ends.† This seems entirely true. For example, in â€Å"Lord of the Flies† most of the kids decide going around hunting and not worrying about anything else is what is important, and eventually turn into savages. This could also be true if the people of a farming community started becoming lazy and stopped caring for their crops and animalsRead MoreEssay on Lord of the Flies694 Words   |  3 PagesLord of the Flies Society frees the individual from the tyranny of disorder. When people are working together with rules, chaos does not occur. In Lord of the Flies, the shell signifies society and order. The book begins with Ralph and Piggy blowing the conch to call the other boys together to order and unity. Skinner explains this by people being completely controlled by their environment. The conch is similar to a bell at school where the boys instinctively come after hearing the noise