Piggy's Glasses As An Active Symbol example essay topic

And Then There Was Anarchy By Logan E. Cole First, it must be understood that in William Golding's "Lord of The Flies' the boys' lives on the island represent a world-wide society. Golding's motives for choosing the island setting, was because it works best to have the characters isolated, where the laws of their governments cannot reach them. Golding chose children instead of adolescents, or even adults, because children have not yet been fully conditioned by society to understand right from wrong, and thus in this ignorance, most of them are guided by their instinct and what is inherent within them. Piggy's glasses, which in the end represent the total decay of a civilized society on the island, or Ralph, an icon of law, order, organized society and moral integrity, are two of the many symbols used in this book.

Of course there is more than one theme, or meaning, but the overall and most important one is that the conditions of life within society are closely related to the moral integrity of its individual members. In Golding's own words: The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable. The whole book is symbolic in nature except the rescue in the end where adult life appears, dignified and capable, but in reality enmeshed in the same evil as the symbolic life of the children on the island. The officer, having interrupted a man-hunt, prepares to take the children off the island in a cruiser which will presently be hunting its enemy in the same implacable way. And who will rescue the adult and his cruiser?

(Golding, 204) Piggy is a symbol of knowledge and morality. His spectacles represent the level of order in their society at that given moment in time, the less this "voice of knowledge and morality' can see, the further the boys digress into a total anarchy. For example: at first, when Piggy's glasses were clean and in good condition, the laws were observed and all was calm. Where as, in the end, Piggy's glasses broken, missing one lens and in the possession of Jack, that "voice of reason' was left blind and helpless, leading to eminent downfall brought upon by Jack's lawless and anarchic tribe. This degeneration of rule can be broken into three parts; first, the undamaged specs, then, the specs loose a lens, and finally the glasses are stolen.

In the beginning of the book Piggy's glasses shined, were unbroken, and he cleaned them often. The boys had established a mock government and elected Ralph as their leader. Jack and his choir were assigned fire and hunting duties. A good strong signal fire was built. The conch is adopted as an item of power.

All is well between Jack and Ralph. And all is well in their make believe society. In general the boys had formed a civilized society, adopted laws, and were doing their best to act like the cordial little British gentlemen that they were. After Jack's first hunt, their government begins it's decay. The choir had been assigned the task of maintaining the signal fire. But, rather than keeping to their assigned duties, Jack took his choir hunting, hence, leaving the fire untended.

Now, this would have not been a great ordeal if there hadn't been a ship passing by the island at that moment. One can understand Ralph's pique, he has trusted these people to sustain the signal for rescue (else they may be stranded on the island perpetually) and in their carelessness they have betrayed him, and themselves. Upon Jack's return there was an argument during which Piggy's glasses were crushed, removing one lens. Relations between the two powers (Jack and Ralph) are weakened. Beast lore grows and causes unrest among the "littluns' (little ones, referred to in book as "littluns').

Ralph begins to loose power, and assemblies have lost their significance. By now, all have left Ralph's refined clique for Jack's "fun and hunting' oriented clan; save Piggy, Samneric (twins individually named Sam and Eric, but are referred to as one, hence, the term "Samneric') and some "littluns'. Jack's tribe, during a dance they were performing, has killed Simon. The glasses are scratched and dirty, but still capable of serving the purposes of Piggy's vision and starting the fire. Jack has stolen fire once already, but decides rather than stealing fire each time he needs it, he " ll just take Piggy's glasses. Once the glasses are stolen, Piggy's death soon follows, as he is unaware of the rapidly approaching boulder, simultaneously destroying him and the conch in his hands.

War against law and order ensues as man's primal instinct rears its head. Ralph, the icon of law, order, and morality, is alone and hunted, and the glasses are dismembered and stolen. Thus symbolizing the one hundred and eighty degree turn of their society from law and order to utter chaos. In conclusion, Golding has used Piggy's glasses as an active symbol (active in that, while it physically decays so does the level of rationalistic government) that represents the status of sobriety within their isolationism.