Power, Evil, and Savagery

I will focus on symbols in this blog.

By my definition a symbol is a concrete noun that represents an abstract noun. A few symbols I came up with are the conch shell, the pig’s head, and the beast.

I think the conch shell symbolizes power and leadership. It symbolizes power because it belongs to the chief and the chief blows it to start a meeting. During a meeting, only the person with the conch can speak.

The beast symbolizes the evil inside of everyone. It symbolizes evil because no one knows what it looks like. You can’t see the evil inside yourself. Evil takes over when the boys think they see the beast. They kill what they think is the beast and later find out they killed Simon.

The pig’s head represents the bad side of freedom. The boys are away from society. They’re wild and out of control. They killed one of their own. The pig’s head represents savagery.

“‘Pick up the pig.’

“Maurice and Robert skewered the carcass, lifted the dead weight, and stood ready. In the silence, and standing over the dry blood, they looked suddenly furtive.

“Jack spoke loudly.

“’This head is for the beast. It’s a gift.’

“The silence accepted the gift and awed them. The head remained there, dim-eyed, grinning faintly, blood blackening between the teeth. All at once they were running away, as fast as they could, through the forest to the open beach.” (Page 137).

In this passage, the characters are savages. They became savages after living without grownups and rules. Fear transformed them into savages.