English Lord Of the Flies

Essay by moongara00High School, 11th gradeA-, July 2014

download word file, 4 pages 0.0

Downloaded 3 times

Good Verses Evil - Symbols of Power in 'Lord of the Flies'

Mr. Salecich and Ms. Esslick

By Liam Noble

William Golding's novel, "Lord of The Flies' demonstrates the theme of power, the use of power, and the abuse of power. In the novel, Golding creates a 'child utopia' where there were no adults and therefore no rules. The novel is set in the midst of a nuclear war, and a group of boys being evacuated crash land on a deserted island. To survive, the boys quickly realise that they need a leader. Two boys in particular, are the natural and likely leaders, however, the lust for power drives all the boys into a world that is annihilated and overrun by savagery. The Editor of the London Times, Liam Noble, delves into the possession of power, and explores the aspects that lead the boys into hell.

�

The two potential leaders, Ralph and Jack, are in a constant struggle to influence and control the other boys.

Ralph and Jack have similar objectives at the beginning, but as the book moves forward, they stray away from each other. Ralph desired power to survive and be rescued, but when Jack receives power, it causes him to stray from the initial goal and he begins to manipulate the boys to gain control. Golding sets up the readers to only come to this realisation halfway through the novel when Jack creates his own 'tribe'.

At the beginning of the novel, one of the boys called Piggy finds a conch, which is an influential symbol of power throughout the majority of the book. Piggy understands that the conch could be used for more than just its sound, but also to enforce rules; for example, whoever has the conch has the right to...