Symbols_In_Lord_Of_The_Flies

Symbols In Lord Of The Flies Piggy’s specs are a very symbolic object. Piggy is a social outcast but his intelligence and thoughtfulness well exceed that of any of the other boys. His thoughts come to life through Ralph’s image to make an ultimate leader. The specs are a symbol of man’s ability to perceive and think, man’s greed, and the boys’ vision of civilization. Piggy is the most intelligent boy and has the clearest perception of the boys on the island. The fact that he wears glasses is a symbol of his intelligence. After he was killed, “There was no Piggy to talk sense.”(216) Piggy was “a true, wise friend.” (202). At the beginning of the novel, Ralph uses the specs to create a signal fire for rescue, an intelligent idea. However, Jack uses Piggy’s specs to “smoke [Ralph] out and set the island on fire”(217). This is a contrast between the good and bad applications of man’s knowledge. The specs symbolise the greedy nature of mankind. The two tribes want the specs to create fire. Jack’s tribe wants fire to cook, Ralph’s tribe want the specs to keep the signal fire going. Ralph’s tribe was willing to share the glasses, “[Jack], You could evil, head, specs, boys, within, lord, beast, piggy’s, piggy, themselves, symbol, glasses, fire, civilization, tribe, ralph’s, pig, man’s, island, flies, capacity, symbolise, symbolic, society, simon, people, man, life, knowledge, intelligence, ideas, good, flies’, create