The Lord of the Flies

Symbolism in Lord of the Flies To help his readers gain a better understanding of the message in his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the literary tool symbolism. He uses this tool liberally in two important areas, those being objects and people. This novel incorporates countless symbols, but this paper will discuss some of the most widely recognized ones, beginning with the objects. Golding uses symbolic objects to convey his opinion of …

…the means by which order was maintained. Throughout the Lord of the Flies William Golding's microcosm of the real world reinforces his idea of the descent of man from civilization into savagery and anarchy in the absence of structure. His use of symbols allows the reader to more easily distinguish between good and evil. This descent of man is epitomized by the shift from Ralph, good, to Jack, evil, as the boys' choice of leader.