Transcript I’ll tell you what’s what.”

ALLEGORY
Symbolism in Lord of the Flies
SUCKS TO YOUR ALLEGORY
READER RESPONSE: YOU ADD MEANING TO
WHAT YOU READ (WITHIN LIMITS)
LOTS OF WAYS TO READ LORD OF THE FLIES
•
There are LOTS of ways to read the
symbolism in LotF, LOTS of possible
allegorical meanings
•
Symbols can mean more than one
thing
•
What’s most important for us is to
examine the ways in which the
symbols interact with one another.
Example:
• Piggy symbolizes X
• Jack symbolizes Y
• By having Jack bully Piggy,
Golding shows that X can
overcome Y
SOME BASIC SYMBOLS
•
Conch = order, civilization, ideals
•
Rocks = destruction, violence
•
Coral Island = Idealism, naiveté
•
Grown Ups = order, rationality
•
Woods = subconscious mind
•
Granitite Platform = order, government
•
Mountain = Hope
•
Hunting = Growing savagery
•
Sow = Mother figure
•
Masks = Anonymity, freedom from
personal responsibility
BIBLICAL ALLEGORY
•
Island = Eden: A pure, garden
paradise without the sins of society
•
Children = Innocent?
•
Simon = Jesus (Simon Peter from the
Bible is the “rock” Christ builds his
church on); he has mystic powers (can
prophecy the future, communicate with
the devil); he cares for less fortunate;
he is a carpenter; he dies after
refusing to give in to the devil’s
demands
•
Lord of the Flies = The devil
(Beelzebub); he’s the reason things
are “no go,” the reason things get bad;
he’s inside of people (Original Sin).
•
Ralph = Everyman
•
Jack = Those who are corrupted by
sin, who give in to the devil
THE BOYS REPRESENT PARTS OF HUMAN
PSYCHE
•
The boys represent an internal
struggle between the id, ego, and
superego
•
Jack = Id (passion, fun, violence, sex)
•
Ralph = Ego (Conscious voice of
reason, seeks interaction with others
within socially acceptable limits)
•
Piggy = Superego (Maintains societal
values, uninfluenced by others)
•
Simon = Superego (Maintains
religious/ spiritual values, uninfluenced
by others)
POLITICAL ALLEGORY
•
Conch = Rules, Order, Ideals
•
Piggy = Science (“Life is scientific”
can’t understand other people, unable
to accept personal responsibility)
•
Piggy’s Specs = Technology ;
Science’s ability to clearly see society
•
Ralph = Charismatic political leader
•
Jack = Dictator
•
Simon = Religious values, rejected in
favor of science/ technology
•
Simon and Piggy are foils – Priest and
scientist
CLASSICAL TRAGEDY
•
Remember that human flaws hold us
back from achieving arete
•
Dionysus = wine, fertility, dirtiness,
fluids, passion
•
Nietzsche saw this as a movement
towards chaos and violence, but also
as an integral part of human nature
that we cannot reject
•
Apollo = Clear, rational thinking, the
sun, cleanliness, lack of emotion
•
Pagan elements like sacrifices
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE ARE NOT WATCHED?
•
They self-monitor for a little while (Roger
throws rocks to miss, Jack can’t kill the
piglet, they make rules and sort of obey
them)
•
Overtime they realize there are no
consequences
•
Without someone watching, the boys go
one of two ways:
•
Do what’s best for others (Ralph,
Simon, Piggy)
•
Do what’s best for themselves
(Jack, Roger)
•
These sometimes overlap (Ralph
and Piggy help kill Simon, Ralph
enjoys hunting)
•
Panoptic Mechanism (Michel
Foucault):
•
By suggesting that you are being
watched, authority figures can alter
your behavior
•
You monitor your own behavior
because you assume someone else is
also monitoring it
•
An actual “Watcher” is not necessary
to maintain order, but the illusion of
one is
•
Overtime, you internalize the idea that
you are being watched