Kira's Lord of The Flies Blog: Blog Quest: Symbol Profiles

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Blog Quest: Symbol Profiles

Piggy's Glasses
Piggy's glasses symbolize seeing the world clearly. Another way of saying this is that Piggy, who wears the glasses, sees reality and his character is the voice of reason. When Piggy's glasses are half broken, his ability to see clearly is diminished and what he sees through the broken glass are splintered images. These splintered visual images are a metaphor for what is happening to the boys on the island as their behavior breaks down and disintegrates into savagery. Also Jack is the character who breaks the glasses and this is symbolic because his savage behavior wrecks Piggy's ability to see clearly.

The Conch
The conch is a symbol of law and order. It also represents power because whoever holds the conch has the power to speak at the assembly. The conch also symbolizes organization. Whenever Ralph blows the conch the kids come together and are united in one group. The conch only has power if people continue to obey its call and this is what Ralph is afraid of. He's worried that he might blow the conch and Jacks gang will ignore it.

The Signal Fire
The smoke form the signal fire is like the string that attaches the boys on this island to civilization. This signal represents connection to life before this crash. It also represents hope. If the signal fire goes out all hope of rescue will die. That is why Ralph gets so angry with the other boys when they let the fire go out. They don't seem to share Ralph's intense desire to get back to their old lives.

The Beast
The beast keeps changing form. First it is something that comes from the sea. Then it is something that comes from the air. The beast is a symbol for whatever fear the boys have. Some boys are afraid of the dark. Some boys are afraid of each other. Some boys are afraid of Jack. The beast is a product of each boy's imagination. It's not real because it is just a feeling of fear and being afraid.

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Simon is a gentle, quiet, generous, compassionate boy who is comforted by being connected to nature. In the middle of the night he wanders off by himself to sleep in a cozy little nest that he discovered in the underbrush. When Jack kills the pig and gives meet to everyone except Piggy, Simon gives Piggy his share. Simon is the only boy who stays with Ralph to help build the huts. He has blonde hair and an open face and you can always tell what he is feeling by his honest expression. He is an in-between boy which means that he is not as young as the littluns but not as big as Piggy, Jack and Ralph.

Ralph has fair hair that grows straight and long into his eyes. His skin is brown from the sun and freckles are sprinkled on his nose and cheeks. His body is slender and he is beginning to get muscles from the hard physical work that he does on the island. Outwardly Ralph seems to be a natural leader and very self confident but on the inside, he doubts himself and feels frightened. For instance when Jack and he go hunting for the beast Ralph first says to Jack, "You're the hunter." This means that he wanted Jack to volunteer to go first because he was scared but then he changed his mind because he knew that he had to behave like a leader. Also he needs to be reassured by Piggy that there really are no beasts because he sort of believes that there might be a beast.

Piggy is fat and flabby. His white skin has been burned bright red from the scorching sun. Whenever he walks fast his breathing becomes loud and raspy from his asthma. It's hard to see his eyes because the glass in his specs reflect the light from the sun. Sometimes Piggy can be overbearing and annoying because he thinks he's smarter than everyone else. Other times he's pathetic because when nobody listens to him he gets whiny. Piggy is very nurturing and protects the littluns. When the littluns are afraid to speak at the meeting, Piggy bends down, listens to them, and then tells the group what they said. Piggy is afraid of Jack and knows that as long as Ralph remains the chief he will be protected from Jack.

Jack is slender but he is very muscular and strong. He is like a panther, nimble and swift in his movements. When he walks through the jungle it's like he has an animal instinct about his surroundings. Whereas the other boys stumble and have to watch their footing, Jack never has to look down. He creeps through the underbrush as easily as walking down a city street. Jack's appearance has changed the most from the beginning because he looks more and more like a savage. His body is splattered with mud and clay and his shorts are tattered and hanging off his body. Jack is aggressive and unreasonable. He thinks that Ralph's plans for organization and survival are ridiculous and unnecessary. He believes that all they need to do to survive is to hunt. He is obsessed with hunting and he is irresponsible about the rest of the group. He doesn't think of anybody except for himself and he enjoys being solitary and hunting pigs alone. He always ridicules Piggy, calling him stupid and he always argues with Ralph.