A Symbol in Lord of the Flies

The symbol of fire is used throughout the entire book, Lord of the Flies. Although it is mentioned only briefly throughout, the significance of these occurrences has a strong effect on the characters, book, and the reader. The author, William Golding, uses the fire to show the status of the people on the island. The fire is first mentioned in chapter three when Ralph decides that it is needed if they wish to ever be …

…also represented the hope of being rescued and as soon as Jack gained possession of it, all hope was lost for Ralph and his tribe. The fire represented commonsense to Ralph all throughout the book and when he lost it he lost the ability to make logical decisions which would have saved his life. This proves the point that the fire represents the status of the people on the island Bibliography Lord of the Flies