From the beginning of Lord of the Flies by William Golding, up until the very last punctuation mark, it is, without a doubt, known that this is one of the very best reads you will ever encounter in your lifetime. This wonderfully written piece of work is about a group of British boys whose plane was shot down and the "passenger tube" was released so it could crash land on a jungle. The boys are the first humans to touch this island, and the author describes a "scar" on the island that is represented as the first touch by a human. The author's use of symbolism is apparent and adds to the total "feeling" of the true genius of this book. The main idea in the story is society and the way we as individuals function socially. It is a sort of "guinea pig test" to see how boys would act without adults around, although it is all completely fictional. At the beginning of the story, Ralph pretends to "machine gun" Piggy. This tells the reader of the presence of a war occurring on the world outside this island. After the discovery of the conch, all the boys are assembled on the beach, a leader is picked and the characters are placed before the reader's eyes. We get a good sense that Jack is someone who is a stubborn, spoilt child who is always used to getting his way and will go to extents to get his way. Ralph is that quiet boy who everyone wants to listen to because of his charms and everyone is eager to be his friend. Right away we get a sense of foreshadow that Jack and Ralph are close to becoming rivals. In a way, Jack is Ralph's foil. Piggy is a fat boy who's self confidence will never match up to his intelligence, Simon is the one who's sticking close to Ralph and we get a feeling they will be good friends, and as for Roger, we get a sense that he will be Simon's foil, and Jack's good friend.
As we read on further in the book we discover that these young boys are getting wild and more savage. The author uses a good metaphor for Jack's "war paint" that he wears before going to kill a pig. It signifies a ‘mask' that people wear when in different situations and do things that people wouldn't think normal. This mask allows Jack to be confident and more powerful; in him, it brings forward a monster that is wallowing deep inside Jack and it takes over his body. It allows him to be free and be exactly what he wants. Jack's obsession to catch a pig is also significant in the way that it makes the reader aware of the more savage lifestyle these boys are heading into. The author also uses Jack to foreshadow. As Jack's obsession with killing a pig heightens, we sense a feeling of upcoming dilemma or major problem in the story. When war broke out in Europe many lives were affected and we see the influence this had on William Golding when he carefully wrote this book and calculated every event. Society at the time was experiencing new traumas and shocks and the boys that are stranded on this little island in the Indian Ocean represent this war. The fire at the top of the mountain represents the hope of living through this life changing conflict, a light for people to look towards in a time of utter desolation, a reminder not to fade away. The conch is a symbol of power. It seems that no matter how wild these boys get, the conch always holds onto that one bit of sanity and that more "human" way to live. I find it interesting how the only person who actually holds onto the conch the most often is Piggy, the only one who seems to always remain sane. A shell has been believed to be religious to some; they have been used to call believers in prayer, to warn of coming danger, to summon warriors for a fight or to sound out if a war has been won and to announce an entrance of a king. William Golding portrays this shell as a highly valued item in this "tribe". The island seems almost like a paradise, and the fact that these "creepers" are constantly mentioned and seemingly everywhere on the island makes me think of the bible, where Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden and the snake approaches them. The creepers constantly remind the reader of some lurking danger, or that this island is not just some paradise. The "beast" that comes up at the beginning of the book starts as just a fear for the ‘younguns' but slowly this creeps into the ‘biguns' minds and they become frightened also. This beast is a reminder to these boys that they are actually just children, and not adults and keep a vulnerable side to them opens also. The beast reminds us of the famous "boogie man" and the fact that these boys have no one to comfort them when they are scared hardens them mentally which makes them "tougher" in a way. The author's sense of imagery is very detailed and the island described reminds myself of the special "spot" that everyone has where they just feel like relaxing and being themselves, similar to when Simon finds that spot in the clearing where he can just think about the day's events and reflect on things. Although these boys are thousands of miles from home and completely oblivious to the war-torn world outside of their island, they seem to be creating an impeccable duplicate of the world's current events.