Symbols/scenes related to the themes or key events in the novel

I will be discussing about the symbols that are related to key events in this story. One of the symbols present in the book is the conch shell. At the beginning of the story, Ralph and Piggy found the conch at the beach. After admiring the conch shell, the two boys used the conch shell to produce a unique sound to call the rest of the boys together after the plane crash. The conch shell is a symbol of authority and order in the whole story. In the whole story where most of the theme is focused on savagery and civilisation, the conch shell is an important symbol that provides and effective way of communication.

The Conch Shell



The conch shell also gives whoever that is holding the shell the right the speak. This is an attempt at civilisation as the boys try to follow the ‘hands-up’ rule which is common in their schools. However, as the story progresses, the element of savagery starts to triumph over civilisation. The conch shell was shown to lose its symbolic meaning when the boys start to ignore Ralph and throw stones at him when he blew the conch at Jack’s camp. When Roger pushes the boulder to kill Piggy, the conch shell is also crushed in the process. This signifies that the boys’ civilised instincts were no longer present.

Piggy's Glasses



Piggy is the most intelligent, rational boy in the group, and his glasses represent the power of science and intellectual endeavor in society. This symbolic significance is clear from the start of the novel, when the boys use the lenses from Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight and start a fire. When Jack’s hunters raid Ralph’s camp and steal the glasses, the savages effectively take the power to make fire, leaving Ralph’s group helpless. In addition, Piggy is seen to wipe his glasses most of the time, right before he gives a rational analysis on matters. This shows clarity of thought and since Piggy seems to embody the rational thought of humans, closer to the side of civilisation, Piggy's Glasses hence represent the power of science and the intelluct society possesses.

The Signal Fire



The signal fire burns on the mountain, and later on the beach, to attract the notice of passing ships that might be able to rescue the boys. As a result, the signal fire becomes part of the boys’ connection to civilization. In the early parts of the novel, the fact that the boys maintain the fire is a sign that they want to be rescued and return to society. When the fire burns low or goes out, we realize that the boys have lost sight of their desire to be rescued and have accepted their savage lives on the island. The signal fire thus functions as a kind of measurement of the strength of the civilized instinct remaining on the island. The fire seems to symbolise hope and freedom in this case, as it represents the hope of the boys to be rescued, and it is the only way they can be rescued.

One of the key events in this story is burning out of the signal fire. The signal fire represents the boys’ desire to return back to civilisation. Burning on the island, the smoke produced was supposed to attract the attention of passing ships. However, the signal fire were let out accidentally when Jack went hunting with the other members while he was in charge of keeping the signal fire burning. The burning out of the signal fire represents the boys’ lost hope and attempt to return to the society. The fact that the signal fire was let out due to a careless mistake by Jack that could be easily prevented also shows that the boys were not fully committed and sincere about connecting back to the society. It also shows that a small of the boys’ instead preferred to stay on the island for the rest of their lives, not wanting to return back or get help from the society.

The Beast



Another symbol present in the book is the beast that the boys saw in the jungle. The beast is actually non-existent and is a symbol of the boys’ savagery instinct. Although most of the people especially the littluns were afraid of the beast, only Simon was able to realise that the existence of the imaginary beast was due to their savagery. As civilisation and order demises when the story progresses, more sightings of the beast were mentioned in the book. This shows that the more prominently the beast is mentioned, the more savage they are.

The Lord of the Flies



The Lord of the Flies is the bloody, severed sow’s head that Jack impales on a stake in the forest as an offering to the beast. This complicated symbol becomes the most important image in the novel when Simon confronts the sow’s head in the glade and it seems to speak to him, telling him that evil lies within every human heart and promising to have some “fun” with him. (This “fun” foreshadows Simon’s death in the following chapter.) In this way, the Lord of the Flies seems to be a manifestation of the devil.

How does the novel relate to our experiences in life?

I will be discussing on how the novel relates to the experiences of life. The novel touches on certain themes and topics such as rationality, behavioural changes, fear, leadership, friendship, caving in to temptations and the unknown. The novel depicts the boys not being able to think logically and prioritise due to the long period of time of staying on the island by themselves,
, leading them to venture out far into the dark and unknown aspect of the island and slowly discovering the evil part of them. The novel also shows how friendships are established and destroyed. Fear can be widely seen throughout the novel whether it is the boys’ paranoid opinion of the unknown ‘beast’. Leadership plays a large role where Jack and Ralph have contrasting leadership principles.

In our own lives, we do often neglect the things we are supposed to do which often leads us to dire consequences. Our rationality is often questioned and threatened by the people around us and the present situations. When we are exposed to a certain kind of judgement and surrounding for a period of time, we gradually tilt over to what that society expects of us and often make decisions that might be detrimental to ourselves and the people around us. Sometimes, the way we behave and think is changed as time passes by in that society but how often do we realise that how we act isn’t actually us anymore? We discover the part of us that has caved in to other people’s expectations.

Friendships? The people around us who seem to be our friends might turn out to backstab us or betray us, we’ll never know. As friendships are established and time passes by, we often realise how much it means to us or how shallow the connection actually was. For example, Ralph never favoured Piggy from the start, but as the novel goes on, we come to find that a close bond is forged and that Piggy was the only person who stood by him and supported him. In contrast, Jack who seemed to have a possibility of a close friendship with Ralph breaks down in the end and it even turns out into a hunt for Ralph. We never really know what’s going to happen.

Fear will always be part of us as time passes by and we realise things are not as simple as it seems. In the novel, Ralph raved about how good the island was and how they would have a fun time there. However, the island isn’t as simple as it is and the unknown factor of the ‘beast’ starts to make the boys paranoid and fear the “creature”. We do not fear the dark, nor the ‘beasts’. What we fear is what’s around us and what’s inside of us, the future and the end. How much of the present will be part of our future? How long will things last? How much of us now will still continue to be in us in the future?

Lastly, leadership qualities. Obviously shown in the novel, the wrong leaders will affect how the entire system and organisation works. Jack was an oppressive leader, caring more about his own power than that of the welfare and opinions of the boys. Conversely, Ralph was a democratic leader who as time passes, becomes more matured and logical in thinking. Similarly, in our society today, the leader who leads the team forward is crucial for how the organisation carries out its activities. In the novel, Ralph felt heavily burdened by the status of the leader because of the situations that were causing them to lose sight of rescue. In our own lives, as leaders, we are often burdened by the fact of how things will turn out and how things might fall apart and it often leaves us dangling about our own ability.

How our group's initial understanding of Lord of the Flies has changed from T1 and T2

From the start of Term 1, we only thought that Lord of the Flies was going to be a story that revolves around only survival and teamwork between the boys. Little did we know that there were way more underlying themes beneath the pages of the book. We had to read between the lines in order to find out the hidden meanings that some objects had, such as, the conch, which represented the authority to speak, linking back to civilisation. In addition, we were able to learn more about how a group of boys stranded on an island could turn sour.

At the start of Lord of the Flies, we were imagining that the story was set around an Utopian perspective. Instead, we found out that despite the resources given to these boys, human nature's hidden destruction could still render all these resources useless. Who would expect the sudden conflicts that affect the boys' friendships? We have also went into Lord of the Flies in deep detail, and we have found out that the need to gratify one's desires, the act of violence to obtain supremacy over others. We would never have thought that Jack would be the one to hold supreme power, from how he manipulates others to serve his own purposes, how the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the group is overshadowed by the savagery and sheer evil of the "beast" lurking in everyone.

In addition, we were able to learn about how every human. when left to their own devices, naturally reverts to cruelty, savagery, and barbarism. This idea of innate human evil is central to Lord of the Flies, and finds expression in several important symbols, most notably the beast and the sow’s head on the stake, which we would not have perceived as possible in the Utopian world we live in at this moment. We learn to appreciate our lives, and how we are not left to our own devices. The deeper we delve into Lord of the Flies, the closer we could relate it to our daily lives. We often see people who are left alone, who often go down the wrong path of life. Therefore, we have changed our mindset on how Lord of the Flies may impact our lives. In this case, after 6 months of studying the book, we are able to see how the book relates to our daily lives.

Poems/short extracts from other novels that deal with similar themes :D

Ever since humantity began,
A battle started within man.
Two instincts equally strong,
Have been inside us all along.
Each trying to take control.
Different desires and different needs,
Possessing our thoughts and our deeds;
Two instincts control them all.



Savagery is the vicious one.
Thirst for blood and inclination to destroy.
The end justifies what to be done.
Our premitive desires. Our own selfish joy.
An instinct so brutal and reason-free.
Inside our being it will forever be.



Civilization is the disciplined one.
Longing for sociality and inclination to know.
Forming our heritage in the long run,
As we desire for law, morals and life to grow.
An instinct that fulfills our social nature,
Distinguishing us from any other creature.



Two insticts battle within man,
Ever since humanity began.



By Merhan M. Youssef



This poem relates to how savagery and civilisation both resides within us. However, when we are away from civilisation for a long period of time, the savage side of humanity tends to take over. Both the poem and the book addresses how civilisation and savagery fight an inner battle within us. However, in terms of Lord of the Flies, savagery is the one that wins this fight. This theme of Savagery vs Civilsation is also shown in the poem. The poem states, "Ever since humantity began,A battle started within man.Two instincts equally strong, Have been inside us all along. Each trying to take control.". This has shown how humans are born to have both the instincts of savagery.



However, in the context of Lord of the Flies, the savage side of humanity is shown, as the boys are forced to turn against their friends, through the rule of fear and inner darkness. As Lord of the Flies implies, "The beast is a part of us", humans are tamed under the civilised world. However, when humans are left to fend for themselves, the savage instincts of themselves may surface. As the poem states, "Savagery is the vicious one. Thirst for blood and inclination to destroy. The end justifies what to be done. Our premitive desires. Our own selfish joy.", this refers to a character we are familiar with in Lord of the Flies, one that commands fear and domination, one that possesses the "beast" within himself, one that takes pride in selfishness. a character that embodies savagery, that is, Jack. The savagery shown in the poem can be compared to how the savagery of the hunters, of humanity, is brought out when they put on face paint, concealing the instincts of "civilisation" within them. Out comes the savagery and mass destruction.



However though, the instinct of civilisation was lost eventually, while savagery took over over a period of time in the book. This promotes the theme of "Civilisation vs Savagery", both implied in the poem and the book. We are all familiar with how the boys in Lord of the Flies have followed the rules set by Ralph, the inclination to follow rules set by others. We are all too familiar with how Roger was hesitant to throw stones at the littluns at the start of the story. However, this harmless boy, Roger, turns into a savage boy who has no qualms in eradicating anyone he deems fit. How did a kind boy that was hesitant to even throw stones at the littluns, turn into the savage beast that let off the large stone that eventually killed the embodiment of civilisation, Piggy? This has marked the victory of savagery over civilisation, when the hunters chant, when the hunters hunt down prey. Did the hunters even show any regret when they had found out they had killed Piggy and Simon? They were masked by the paint, which lets savage intents take over. How else would a group of boys turn into a savage group, hunting down Ralph throughout the entire island in the end?

Civilization can only mitigate but it will never be able to wipe out the innate evil that exists within all human beings. The forest glade in which Simon sits in Chapter 3 symbolizes this loss of innocence. At first, it is a place of natural beauty and peace, but when Simon returns later in the novel, he discovers the bloody sow’s head impaled upon a stake in the middle of the clearing. The bloody offering to the beast has disrupted the paradise that existed before—a powerful symbol of innate human evil disrupting childhood innocence. It results naturally from their interactions with the innate evil and savagery that has always existed within them. This is also seen in the poem, which suggests that savagery is innate in humanity, and that civilisation only serves to tame, but even a tamed cat can turn wild again.


One question to ponder over today, which instinct won in the end, Savagery or Civilisation?

Poems/short extracts from other novels which deal with similar themes in the novel :D

'Sixty seconds. That's how long we're required to stand on our metal circles before the sound of a gong releases us. Step off before the minute is up, and land mines blow your legs off. Sixty seconds to take in the ring of tributes all equidistant from the Cornucopia, a giant golden horn shaped like a cone with a curved tail, the mouth of which is at least twenty feet high, spilling over with the things that will give us life here in the arena. Food, containers of water, weapons, medicine, garments, fire starters. Strewn around the Cornucopia are other supplies, their value decreasing the farther they are from the horn. For instance, only a few steps from my feet lies a three-foot square of plastic. Certainly it could be of some use in a downpour. But there in the mouth, I can see a tent pack that would protect from almost any sort of weather. If I had the guts to go in and fight for it against the other twenty-three tributes. Which I have been instructed not to do.

We're on a flat, open stretch of ground. A plain of hard-packed dirt. Behind the tributes across from me, I can see nothing, indicating either a steep downward slope or even a cliff. To my right lies a lake. To my left and back, sparse piney woods. This is where Haymitch would want me to go. Immediately.

I hear his instructions in my head. "Just clear out, put as much distance as you can between yourselves and the others, and find a source of water."

But it's tempting, so tempting, when I see the bounty waiting there before me. And I know that if I don't get it, someone else will. That the Career Tributes who survive the bloodbath will divide up most of these life-sustaining spoils. Something catches my eye. There, resting on a mound of blanket rolls, is a silver sheath of arrows and a bow, already strung, just waiting to be engaged. That's mine, I think. It's meant for me.

I'm fast. I can sprint faster than any of the girls in our school, although a couple can beat me in distance races. But this forty-yard length, this is what I am built for. I know I can get it, I know I can reach it first, but then the question is how quickly can I get out of there? By the time I've scrambled up the packs and grabbed the weapons, others will have reached the horn, and one or two I might be able to pick off, but say there's a dozen, at that close range, they could take me down with the spears and the clubs. Or their own powerful fists. Still, I won't be the only target. I'm betting many of the other tributes would pass up a smaller girl, even one who scored an eleven in training, to take out their more fierce adversaries.
Haymitch has never seen me run. Maybe if he had he'd tell me to go for it. Get the weapon. Since that's the very weapon that might be my salvation. And I only see one bow in that whole pile. I know the minute must be almost up and will have to decide what my strategy will be and I find myself positioning my feet to run, not away into the surrounding forests but toward the pile, toward the bow. When suddenly I notice Peeta, he's about five tributes to my right, quite a fair distance, still I can tell he's looking at me and I think he might be shaking his head. But the sun's in my eyes, and while I'm puzzling over it the gong rings out.

And I've missed it! I've missed my chance! Because those extra couple of seconds I've lost by not being ready are enough to change my mind about going in. My feet shuffle for a moment, confused at the direction my brain wants to take and then I lunge forward, scoop up the sheet of plastic and a loaf of bread. The pickings are so small and I'm so angry with Peeta for distracting me that I sprint in twenty yards to retrieve a bright orange backpack that could hold anything because I can't stand leaving with virtually nothing.

A boy, I think from District 9, reaches the pack at the same time I do and for a brief time we grapple for it and then he coughs, splattering my face with blood. I stagger back, repulsed by the warm, sticky spray. Then the boy slips to the ground. That's when I see the knife in his back. Already other tributes have reached the Cornucopia and are spreading out to attack. Yes, the girl from District 2, ten yards away, running toward me, one hand clutching a half-dozen knives. I've seen her throw in training. She never misses. And I'm her next target.

All the general fear I've been feeling condenses into an immediate fear of this girl, this predator who might kill me in seconds. Adrenaline shoots through me and I sling the pack over one shoulder and run full-speed for the woods. I can hear the blade whistling toward me and reflexively hike the pack up to protect my head. The blade lodges in the pack. Both straps on my shoulders now, I make for the trees. Somehow I know the girl will not pursue me. That she'll be drawn back into the Cornucopia before all the good stuff is gone. A grin crosses my face. Thanks for the knife, I think.


Adapted from "The Hunger Games" - Suzanne Collins


The Hunger Games is set in a world of dystopia, set in "Panem" which is located in North America. The country consists of the wealthy Capitol located in the Rocky Mountains and twelve (formerly thirteen) poorer districts ruled by the Capitol. The Capitol is lavishly rich and technologically advanced but the twelve districts are in varying states of poverty. Young residents, aged 12 to 18, from twelve districts are chosen by random drawing (or "reaping") to participate in a compulsory annual televised death match called The Hunger Games.

Most of the characters will have to either fight or face death, and this is in turn similar to Lord of the Flies, where teenagers (which are coincidentally also around the age of 12), will have to fight each other for victory, as only few will survive. This story also promotes the theme of savagery, as when faced with the threat of being killed, teenagers will have no choice but to turn savage and merciless, another theme shown in Lord of the Flies.

In addition, themes of Civilisation vs Savagery is also present in the story of the Hunger Games, the people involved in the games will have to hunt for their own food, and conflicts may arise, leading to death, just like how Lord of the Flies is set. Due to the fact that these people were once from civilisation and are put in a game that forces them to fight for their lives, it is undeniable that these people will turn savage in a matter of time.

In addition, when humans are threatened with their own life, they might lose their rational thought and adapt to the grave situation, which is, to turn savage. In Lord of the Flies, the boys turn savage due to unforeseen circumstances that force them to turn against each other, such as being hunters and hunting for food. This act of hunting, both present in the Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies, turn the characters savage eventually

In addition, the people involved in the Hunger Games will have to fend for themselves. without the supervision of any adults, similar to how the boys were marooned on an island in "Lord of the Flies" In addition, hunting is both necessary in Lord of the Flies and the Hunger Games, due to the fact that food is not supplied to them, as the protagonist's family happens to be poor. There is an inequality between the rich and the poor, and the poor will have to fend for themselves by hunting. However, in the Hunger Games, hunting takes on a way more savage aspect as compared to "Lord of the Flies", again touching on the theme of savagery. In the Hunger Games, the characters hunt humans instead of animals.