What do Piggy’s Glasses Symbolize: Decoding ‘Lord of the Flies

Introduction: The Concept of Human Nature and Society in “Lord of the Flies”

Many have heard the common term “human nature.” But what exactly is it, and how has it changed over the generations? According to Britannica, it means fundamental dispositions and traits of humans. In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, the intriguing concept of human instinct affects a group of boys who are stranded on an island after a disastrous plane crash. Golding investigates the idea of civilized decorum vs.

savage lifestyles using various symbols and images, including the Lord of the Flies itself. One character, Jack, the leader of a group of choir boys, through his methods of leading and through his savagery, stands out as a contender for the Lord of the Flies and effectively illustrates the idea of brutality. Golding uses symbolism in this novel by using Piggy’s glasses, the conch, and the Lord of the Flies, to demonstrate how the human impulse towards savage tendencies and how the rules of society gradually change the boys.

What Happens to Piggy’s Glasses: An Emblem of Lost Society

The first example of symbolism used in this novel is Piggy’s glasses, exhibiting the good in a society that the boys have lost, living on the island. Piggy is the most intelligent of the boys on the island. Piggy enforces order and law, and he also knows how to use the conch. So, when the boys take his glasses, he cannot see anything. ‘Seeing’ is Piggy’s most unique aspect. It is why the boys do not entirely shut him out. At the beginning of the story, “[Piggy] wiped his glasses and adjusted them on his button nose. The frame had made a deep, pink V on the bridge”. Piggy is described and brought into the story with his glasses. They are a part of his identity and show how knowledgeable he is. Piggy and his glasses go hand in hand. They are never without each other.

They also leave the world together. As Piggy dies, his glasses shatter as well, and what they represent. Piggy’s glasses are also seen as a technological furtherance. The boys are having trouble starting a fire as “Jack point[s] suddenly. ‘His specs – use them as burning glasses!’ Piggy was surrounded before he could back away” (40). Piggy’s glasses begin their continuous rescue mission. The boys need to start a fire to be seen by anyone and possibly rescued. His glasses are used to start that fire, shining sunlight through. Piggy’s glasses, representing the power of society, are clear in this part of the novel. Piggy, being his corpulent, repressed self, does not defend himself, and the rest of the boys end up taking advantage of that by stealing his glasses.

The Conch: A Symbol of Civilized Structure and Unification

The next example of symbolism Golding uses is the conch, representing the civilized structure, uniting the boys together. The boys are trying to figure out a way to unify them together shortly after landing on this island. Ralph and Piggy find a white shell called a conch. Ralph blows the shell, bringing all the boys to one spot. Ralph tells the boys that he will “‘give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” But–” Look–” And he won’t be interrupted: Except by me'”. Ralph uses the conch to amalgamate the boys and commence rules and a sort of order and rules on this new island. This quote shows how the conch brings everyone together. It shows how they are beginning to set rules in place, like who has the right to speak.

Shortly after this, they decide on new rules. So the conch symbolizes rules, civilization, and structure in the aspect of human nature. Throughout the novel, the conch is brought back into conversation when the balance of powers begins to become unbalanced. Just like power, the conch is fragile. As Piggy advises Ralph to blow the conch to call another assembly, Ralph says, “If I blow the conch and they don’t come back, then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued”. Ralph begins to understand that dominance and rules are only powerful if others concur to follow them. But at this moment, he begins to have the revelation that they might never be saved, no matter who the leader is and who is in power. Even though the conch represents power, Ralph is saying that if it doesn’t unite them and bring power to the group, then they will never survive.

The Lord of the Flies: The Incarnation of the Boys’ Feared Evil

The last example of symbolism Golding uses in this novel is the Lord of the Flies itself, which constitutes the evil that all the boys fear. When Simon hallucinates and speaks to the Lord of the Flies in chapter 8, it tells him that the beast is not something he can physically kill. The Lord of the Flies also tells Simon that each boy on the island has some of the beasts within themselves as well. The beast tells Simon, “‘We are going to have fun on this island. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else–‘ […] ‘-Or else,’ said the Lord of the Flies”. When the Lord of the Flies tells Simon, ‘We are going to have fun on this island,’ it means they’re going to give in to whatever they wish, disregarding the proper manners which they have been taught.

The Lord of the Flies represents disorder, chaos, and a savage, caveman-like human instinct that underlays in all the boys. It even manages to threaten Simon, saying, “Or else,” when Simon begins to realize that the beast is really inside all of them. Another portion of the story where the Lord of the Flies exemplifies disorder is when the Lord of the Flies tells Simon, “‘Well then,’ […] ‘you’d better run off and play with the others. They think you’re batty. You don’t want Ralph to think you’re batty, do you? You like Ralph a lot, don’t you? And Piggy, and Jack?'”. Here, the Lord of the Flies is playing with Simon’s emotions, especially his fear. It is trying to cause some sort of reaction by picking on Simon’s insecurities about being liked. It tells Simon that the boys “think [he’s] batty,” meaning that they think he’s crazy and weird. It is causing chaos and disruption in Simon’s mind. The name ‘Lord of the Flies’ means Beelzebub, the Latin word for devil or Satan. This shows how the Lord of the Flies symbolizes the evil and brutality that exists in everyone.

Conclusion: The Transformation of Human Nature in the Absence of Order

In conclusion, Golding uses symbolism in this novel to show the readers how humans change after losing their sense of society and order. He shows this through the three main symbols in the story: Piggy’s glasses, the conch, and the Lord of the Flies. The primate-like ways have taken over them towards the end, as most of them are savages. Golding wanted to show the readers that there are two possible ways a civilization can go; it can be ruthless or orderly. The boys in this story slowly move away from the proper British manner they have been taught to more of a primitive barbarian lifestyle.

References:

1. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. York Press, 1996.
2. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Human Nature.”
3. Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 7 Mar. 2016, www.britannica.com/topic/human-nature.

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