Symbolic Characters Of Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Ralph, Jack, Simon and Piggy can all be seen as symbolic characters in William Golding s novel Lord of the Flies. The specific items they had can also be seen as symbols. For example, Piggy’s glasses, Ralph’s conch and Jack’s spear all have a deeper meaning. Golding uses symbolism to display his belief of the nature of mankind. He believes that the change from good to evil, from civilization to savage, is inevitable if there isn’t any type of authority or leadership over people. Piggy, an asthmatic, overweight boy, who cannot see without his glasses, represents physical weakness and mental strength. His obesity and poor vision immediately makes the reader think of his traits of physical weakness and someone who can’t accomplish anything. The glasses, however, help illustrate his logical strength, his ability to think situations over logically and use reason and evidence, rather than using emotions to decide upon important dilemmas or any other problems. Piggy does not let his emotions guide him, he thinks logically, which makes him very smart compared to the other boys on the island. The glasses represent intelligence and how wise he is. He doesn’t get mad easily. Piggy’s character is used by William Golding to show how even the best solution to a problem can easily be disregarded because of the absence of respect, pre-established biases, prejudices and immature thinking or acting processes. Jack’s role in â€Å"Lord of the Flies is to show the transition from CivilizedShow MoreRelatedLord of the Flies a Microcosm to Our Society1306 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Golding s novel Lord of the Flies significantly symbolizes characters, objects and the setting to represent our world as a whole. Golding uses those symbols to make the island similar to society and to show the difference between living in a civilised society and savagery. 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