The Lord of the Flies

The symbols that have emerged so far in Lord of the Flies are numerous considering the fact that everything in the book is a symbol. Some of the more interesting ones being that obviously Simon is religion which makes sense because upon learning about the beast he comes to the conclusion that the beast is not real. Instead the beast is inside everyone therefore it is not something you can hunt and kill. This mirrors what many religions say to their followers in the fact that Simon is saying that to change the world around you, you must first change yourself. Also the conch symbolizes control because when Jack was trying to replace Ralph as chief, he blew the conch and he used it to try and show his power over other people. Also when Jack's clan raids Ralph's for fire some of the boys go to protect the conch because that is the symbol of power and they thought that Jack was going to try and steal it. Another symbol that is used in the book is butterflies prancing around which symbolizes peace and harmony. These butterflies, of course, are only ever metioned being in Simon's secret place which means that his place is the only place of peace and harmony on the island which isn't good. When Jack's clan slay the pig in Simon's place the book describes how the butterflies are dancing when the clan first gets there. But as soon as they start slaying the pig, the butterflies leave therefore the only place of peace and harmony on the island was destroyed.