Descent into Savagery

Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding, which takes place during World War 2 on a stranded island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Golding uses a lot of symbolism in The Lord of the Flies. The entire book is symbolic of the nature of man and society in general, as the island becomes a society in comparison to society as a whole. The hunt at the end of the book is symbolic of the war. This allegory tells the story of a group of English schoolboys deserted on a tropic island after their plane is shot down during a war. The schoolboys have survived a plane crash that was caused by warfare; they are innocent victims of adult violence. At first, the island seems to offer the boys sufficient food, water shelter, and even the possibility of eventual rescue. Free from the rules and structures of civilization and society, the boys on the island descend into savagery.

Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach at the beginning of the novel, after discovering each other. Piggy blows into it, thus using it to summon the rest of the boys that are victims of the plane crash as well. By being used in this way, the conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel. The boy who holds the shell holds the rights to speak, and the shell effectively governs the boys' meetings. In this way, the shell consists of political legitimacy and democratic power. As civilization among the island erodes, the conch shell loses its power and influence among the boys. The same boulder that is rolled onto Piggy also crushes the conch shell, signifying the collapse of the civilized instinct among most of the boys on the island.

The signal fire is kept burning at the top of a hill, burning with the hope of rescue. It acts as an indicator of the boys' connection to civilization, and of their desire for civilization. In the beginning of the novel, the boys show their desire to be rescued and return to society by maintaining the signal fire. Eventually the boys allow the fire to burn low, and even go out. This represents their desire to be rescued, diminishing before their eyes, as they begin to accept their savage lives on the island. The signal fire measures the amount and strength of the civilized instinct that remains on the island. Contradictory, a fire of savagery summons their rescue boat. This is not a signal fire, but a forest fire that Jack's gang starts as a contribution to their pursuit to hunt and kill Ralph.

The war paint Jack influenced his gang with symbolizes the rejection of society. As they applied their mask of war paint, they in a way, removed their mask of society and revealed their bona fide inner savage selves. "He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness". Jack would not have acted in such a way if he was in his home society, but behind the mask