Allegory!!!?

Question

How does Allegory relate to the Lord of the flies?
Give many examples

Answer 1

Lord of the Flies is best known as an allegory. It is an allegory on several levels: political, religious and psychological. On its most basic level it is an allegory of human society today. The novel's primary implication is that "what we have come to call civilization is a best no more than skin deep." (The New York Times Book Review)



Writers use allegory to illustrate abstract meanings by using concrete images. Often, characters in allegories personify some abstract quality. While it is possible to read Lord of the Flies as allegory, the work is so complex that it can be read on many levels. It is an allegory of the political state of the world in the post war period; as a Freudian psychological understanding of human kind; or as the Christian understanding of the fall of humankind, among others.

As a political allegory we need only to look at the state of the world at the end of World War II. The world was divided into two camps the free world and the Soviet Union much like the camps of Ralph and Jack. In addition the postwar Cold War Era suffered from fears of atomic destruction. Lord of the Flies shows the world at the brink of atomic destruction. The novel serves as a warning to the leaders of the world.
As a Freudian psychological allegory the characters in the novel personify the different aspects of the human psyche: the id, the super ego, and the ego.
Jack represents the id. This is the part of the unconscious mind that works always to gratify its own impulse.
Piggy is the superego. This is the part of the mind that seeks to control the impulsive behavior of the id. Piggy always reminds Ralph and the others of their responsibilities.
Ralph is the ego. He is the conscious mind that mediates between the id's demand for pleasure and the social pressures brought to bear by the superego.
Finally, Lord of the Flies is a religious allegory of the Garden of Eden. It was a perfect island with good food, good weather, and good water. The beastie is the snake in the Garden that lures (tricks) the others to not hold up to their duty. The parachutist and Piggy represent the fall of mankind. Jack and Ralph are very much like Cain and Able. Simon is a Christ figure who sacrifices himself to save them."

"However, it is important to remember that the parallels between Simon and Christ are not complete, and that there are limits to reading Lord of the Flies purely as a Christian allegory. Save for Simon’s two uncanny predictions of the future, he lacks the supernatural connection to God that Jesus has in Christian tradition. Although Simon is wise in many ways, his death does not bring salvation to the island; rather, his death plunges the island deeper into savagery and moral guilt. Moreover, Simon dies before he is able to tell the boys the truth he has discovered. Jesus, in contrast, was killed while spreading his moral philosophy. In this way, Simon—and Lord of the Flies as a whole—echoes Christian ideas and themes without developing explicit, precise parallels with them. The novel’s biblical parallels enhance its moral themes but are not necessarily the primary key to interpreting the story."

"HOW FAR IS THE BOOK AN ALLEGORY?A particularly interesting question to discuss with groups. The reader may feel that a great deal of the novel is allegorical. You will need to help students define and understand the term “allegory”. We can look at events and character and find clear equivalents in our lives, in our world, our society. • JACK: a very individual leader; a despot or dictator; uses fear; makes decisions on his own. • RALPH: a thoughtful leader; a people’s leader – chosen and supported; considers and consults and is motivated by desire to improve things for everybody; prey to doubt; honest and hard-working. • PIGGY: a thinker; cares about others; serious; an outsider who does not fit; frequently says the right thing; understands how things are; an object of mockery. • SIMON: independent; does not fit in; marked out to be different; possesses understanding and knowledge beyond the ordinary; a prophet – rejected and killed. • THE CONCH: a symbol of order; part of important ritual; gives comfort; like a democracy, it can be smashed. • THE ISLAND: like the world – full of good things. There is fresh water, abundant fruit which is good to eat. There are fish, crabs. Materials to make shelter; natural beauty. So ... the first fire kills a Littlun and lays waste part of the island, destroying fruit, firewood etc. The second fire will destroy all that is good on the island."

and here's a sample from link 4:

"A is for Allegory.

An allegory is where the places, people and events are symbolic. Lord of the Flies is
an allegory of the Garden of Eden.

B Is for BEELZEBUB.

BEELZEBUB is
the devil; he is the BEAST in mankind.

C Is for the CONCH.

The conch is a symbol for democracy.
When it is crushed so is all order in their society.

D Is for the DECAY.

Lord of the Flies shows the decay
of civilization.The flies are drawn
to the rotting away
of man’s humanity.

E Is for the EVIL.
The boys are responsible
for bringing evil
to this perfect island.
As Simon pointed out, maybe the evil is within ourselves.

Answer 2

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RE:
Allegory!!!?
How does Allegory relate to the Lord of the flies?
Give many examples

Answer 3

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