why is it considered and allegory?
Lord of the Flies Forum
Join the discussion about Lord of the Flies by creating a new topic or replying to an existing topic. You may also view GradeSaver's College Discussion Forums or other Novel Discussion Forums.
why is it considdered an allegory??
An allegory is a story in which characters and situations represent larger issues. In this novel, the island is our world. Ralph is a moral leader who believes in the good in people. Jack is a dictator who thrives on power. Piggy is intelligence and vision. Roger is a despotic leader. Simon is truth and the knowledge of the true beast within us all. The Beast is our inner laziness, irresponsibility, selfishness, and violence. Sam and Eric are loyalty. Fire is science.
Get it? The events on the island are just like larger events in our world. The signal fire is science in the service of mankind; the last fire is science in the service of maniacs. (These terms are borrowed from the Great Books series.)
Get it? The events on the island are just like larger events in our world. The signal fire is science in the service of mankind; the last fire is science in the service of maniacs. (These terms are borrowed from the Great Books series.)
IGNORE COCO
An allegory is when something in a piece of literature is compared to something outside of the story. It's like an allusion that happens repeatedly. What I tell my students is "if an allusion and a symbol had a baby, it's name would be allegory." Do your research. The entire book is an allegory to The Bible. Golding absolutely did this on purpose. In fact the word Beelzebub (the Hebrew word for Satan) is directly translated to Lord of the Flies. Coincidence? I think not. Look for The Garden of Eden, a Christ-like figure, a Lucifer (the fallen archangel) character, snakes as Satan, the temptation of the Christ-like figure by the Devil, etc, etc.
Remember that Golding wrote the book after his experiences in Normandy in WWII. His point was to show that man is inherently evil and that he has to choose to be good or civilized. Can you think of a better moral compass for this book than The Bible?
Good luck . . . my 9th graders really get this; I'm sure that you will too.
An allegory is when something in a piece of literature is compared to something outside of the story. It's like an allusion that happens repeatedly. What I tell my students is "if an allusion and a symbol had a baby, it's name would be allegory." Do your research. The entire book is an allegory to The Bible. Golding absolutely did this on purpose. In fact the word Beelzebub (the Hebrew word for Satan) is directly translated to Lord of the Flies. Coincidence? I think not. Look for The Garden of Eden, a Christ-like figure, a Lucifer (the fallen archangel) character, snakes as Satan, the temptation of the Christ-like figure by the Devil, etc, etc.
Remember that Golding wrote the book after his experiences in Normandy in WWII. His point was to show that man is inherently evil and that he has to choose to be good or civilized. Can you think of a better moral compass for this book than The Bible?
Good luck . . . my 9th graders really get this; I'm sure that you will too.
Heather certainly has a valid view of this novel, but like all good literature, it has multiple interpretations, and mine is just as valid.
A couple of definitions . . .
Allegory = the representation of abstract meanings through the actions of fictional characters that serve as symbols. A story in which the characters and events are symbols expressing truths about human life. (It is not necessarily a direct "remake" of another story as Heather suggests, although it can be.)
Allusion = a casual reference to something, either directly or implied.
Symbol = an object that stands for an idea.
Both Heather's and my interpretations work with these definitions. Watch The Great Books Video about this novel and learn about the allusions/symbolism of this allegory: the fire is "science in the hands of humanity" when used as a signal and for cooking, then "science in the hands of maniacs" when used as a weapon . . . very much like nuclear power. Ralph is a symbol of wise leadership; Jack is a symbol of irresponsible authority. The Beast is the evil within all of us. Civilization is mankind's attempt to control the Beast; without adult authority, the children fall prey to the evil, which as Heather says is named after Satan.
One can certainly view the novel as analagous to the Bible. I see it as relating to our world in general. The characters can be seen as symbols of many people/ideas/events from WWII.
A couple of definitions . . .
Allegory = the representation of abstract meanings through the actions of fictional characters that serve as symbols. A story in which the characters and events are symbols expressing truths about human life. (It is not necessarily a direct "remake" of another story as Heather suggests, although it can be.)
Allusion = a casual reference to something, either directly or implied.
Symbol = an object that stands for an idea.
Both Heather's and my interpretations work with these definitions. Watch The Great Books Video about this novel and learn about the allusions/symbolism of this allegory: the fire is "science in the hands of humanity" when used as a signal and for cooking, then "science in the hands of maniacs" when used as a weapon . . . very much like nuclear power. Ralph is a symbol of wise leadership; Jack is a symbol of irresponsible authority. The Beast is the evil within all of us. Civilization is mankind's attempt to control the Beast; without adult authority, the children fall prey to the evil, which as Heather says is named after Satan.
One can certainly view the novel as analagous to the Bible. I see it as relating to our world in general. The characters can be seen as symbols of many people/ideas/events from WWII.
Heather, you sure are rude. Coco's interpretation is just as good as yours--if not better. Do YOUR research. Golding wrote this book in response to The Coral Island, a novel in which a group of British boys is stranded on an island and has a high old time. Golding was a middle school teacher and knew how boys would REALLY behave in this situation, so he wrote Lord of the Flies to show a more accurate depiction of human behavior.
Your claim that this novel is an allegory of the Bible has some holes in it. What in the novel is analagous to Eve? Golding deliberately left girls out of the novel so that the focus could remain on human behavior and not stray into the sexual (athough the killing of the sow has many sexual suggestions in it: the spear is pushed up her rear end, and "the boys were heavy and fulfilled upon her"). Also, what is the dead pilot in the Bible? Golding has it drop in as an answer to Ralph's request for a sign from the adult world; this "harmless and horrible" thing gives substance to the boys' fear of the beast. Finally, the end of the novel is not anything heavenly; the boys are being "rescued" from their little war and taken to a cruiser . . . which is engaged in a big war! The ship is hunting for enemies so they can kill them--exactly what the boys were doing, just on a larger, adult scale. Golding is showing that the boys have created a microcosm of the world they left behind.
Sure, the book has a lot of allusions to the Bible, but there is a lot more going on than a "recreation" of one other book.
Oh--and a book does not have a "moral compass." People have one, which guides their behavior. The boys lack a moral compass--adult authority (which, in the end, is no better than the boys themselves, ironically)--so they succumb to the beast within them (us) all.
Give your ninth grades a broader view of the novel.
Your claim that this novel is an allegory of the Bible has some holes in it. What in the novel is analagous to Eve? Golding deliberately left girls out of the novel so that the focus could remain on human behavior and not stray into the sexual (athough the killing of the sow has many sexual suggestions in it: the spear is pushed up her rear end, and "the boys were heavy and fulfilled upon her"). Also, what is the dead pilot in the Bible? Golding has it drop in as an answer to Ralph's request for a sign from the adult world; this "harmless and horrible" thing gives substance to the boys' fear of the beast. Finally, the end of the novel is not anything heavenly; the boys are being "rescued" from their little war and taken to a cruiser . . . which is engaged in a big war! The ship is hunting for enemies so they can kill them--exactly what the boys were doing, just on a larger, adult scale. Golding is showing that the boys have created a microcosm of the world they left behind.
Sure, the book has a lot of allusions to the Bible, but there is a lot more going on than a "recreation" of one other book.
Oh--and a book does not have a "moral compass." People have one, which guides their behavior. The boys lack a moral compass--adult authority (which, in the end, is no better than the boys themselves, ironically)--so they succumb to the beast within them (us) all.
Give your ninth grades a broader view of the novel.
You must login to post to this topic.
Existing Users
New Users
Related Content for Lord of the Flies
