Elements of fiction/ Novel 2nd Year

1. Symbolism

Symbolism is an artistic movement in the late 19th century that tried to express abstract or
mystical ideas to the symbolic use of images. The novel “Lord of the Flies” has symbolic
significance that gives it abstract dimension. There are some minor symbols used in novel.

There as follows:

i) Fire:

From the very start of the novel the fire is given a great importance as it becomes symbol
of hope to be rescued. In the beginning, the boys enthusiastically gather wood to make fire on
top of the mountain. Later on, they get tired of collecting wood which clearly shows that the
boys have started adopting the island. This symbol of hope eventually burns the whole island.
However, it helps the naval officers to locate them.

ii) Conch:

It is a symbol of democracy which gives the boys power to speak during the course of
novel, the conch loses its significance eventually. At the end it breaks into thousands of pieces
while piggy is being smashed with a huge rock. Even during its existence jack refuses to accept
its power in the castle rock.

iii) Piggy’s Glasses:

Are symbol of invention in the beginning to light the fire of hope Piggy’s
glasses are used however jacks anger breaks one of the lenses. Later on, the Jack’s party steals
the glasses to roast the meat. This symbol is a critique on the usage of invention or innovation.

iv) Characters as symbol:

In the novel the characters are also symbolic as they represent certain ideas
for instance Ralph represents democracy, Jack represents dictatorship, Simon represents religious
and moral values, Piggy represents loyalty and innovation, whereas the twins represent displaced
loyalty during the time of danger.

v) Lord of the Flies:

It is a symbol of terror among the boys it was basically a head of a pig on

a stick. Simon when finds the truth of lord of the flies, he rushed towards the boys to inform
however he is being killed. The existence of monster and lord of the flies is important to
subjugate the boys at the end of the novel it is found that the evil or the monster lies within
human beings.

vi) Pig/Ram:
It is the symbol of innocence as when the boys kill it for the sake of pleasure. Pig or Ram is the
source of the meat however when it becomes the symbol of brandishing power and savagery it
clearly shows that it is not eatable. “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” clearly
shows their intention.

2. Theme:

Theme is a unified idea around which any literary writing revolves. It is the
driving force that helps the writer to develop the action. Theme of any writing can have multiple
layers and it can be expressed in two distinct layers and it can be expressed in two distinct ways.

1.Implied 2. Explicit

i. Implied:

is a theme which can be interpreted after analyzing the narrative. The readers have
to delve deep into background and initial information about the text for instance, "The last leaf"
by "O'Henry" apparently narrates a story of a young woman however after analyzing the text
thoroughly the theme revolves around significance of life.

ii. Explicit:

A theme which is obvious for the readers without any interpretation. The novel
"The lord of flies" is an anagogical novel which not only expresses its theme in explicit and
implied way. There are symbols used in novel which convey obvious meanings.

Major Themes:

One of the major themes of the novel "Lord of the flies" is the transformation of
boys into savages. They lose their childhood innocence and become corrupt adults. During the
course of the novel, they kill two innocent boys namely Simon and piggy. Their slogan "kill the
beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!" is being used for human rather than just for animals.

ii)Civilization vs Savagery:

The novel is a clash between savagery and civilization. The so called civilized
English boys become thirsty for the blood they change their abode from shelters to castle rock.
They completely ruined the beautiful island into ashes.

Minor Themes:

The novel also criticizes the behaviour of human towards nature as the littluns
pollute the land and Jack party puts the whole island on fire the novel silently shows imperialistic
nature of Queen. These multiple themes helped the writer to make the novel appealing to the
readers.

3. Logline and Significance of Title:

 Logline is a brief statement usually a sentence or two
describes the central conflict and instigates the readers thoroughly delve deep in the narrative.
Most of the time logline is stated under the very title.

The novel “Lord of the flies” can have the following logline “A
group of boys stranded on island transformed into savages while considering circumstances
that lead to two deaths.” After the logline the title itself is very significant as it introduces the
theme of the narrative. The title not only grabs the attention of the readers but signifies the
motive. The novel “Lord of the Flies” has a significant title which is the symbol of terror
however at the end of the novel this symbol is found rotting in the forest. The real horror or
terror prevails even after it was confirmed that there was no monster as the real monster lies
within human hearts which corrupts the whole tribe and puts the island on fire.

4. Setting

Setting is defined as the time frame and the environment in which the narrative takes place.

Types of setting:

Setting has two major types which can be subcategorized:

i. Temporal Setting:

It focuses on the time zone and duration of the narrative. It can be fictional
and real. Understanding of time or temporal setting gives a lot of information about the action
taking. In the novel “Lord of the Flies” by “William Golding”, a fictional time has been
created, which is World War II. In this narrative the consideration of time is important because
the crumbling society of England after WWII is addressed.

ii. Environmental Setting:

It describes the circumstances and environment in which the

narrative takes place. It is important as it gives information about the socio-economic and
political background. Environmental setting can also be fictional and real. In the novel “Lord of
the Flies” by “William Golding”, the boys get stranded on the island somewhere in the world.
Here they forget about rules and regulations of modest society and become savages with the
change in the environment and behavior. This refers to England after the war.

Novel “Lord of the Flies” can be understood by keeping in view the time and circumstances of
England where the changes were obvious and significant.

5. Allegory

Allegory is a fictional work that imparts hidden meaning and gives symbolic significance to
the story. “Lord of the Flies” by “William Golding” is considered to be an allegory. The
vary characters signify a concept for instance Ralph represents democracy and Jack represents
dictatorship or fascist group. Both Ralph and Jack in a struggle of power, fight for the control
over the island, trying to spread their respective ideologies.
Social Allegory

The novel “Lord of the Flies” by “William Golding” can be taken as social allegory which
symbolizes the darkness in a man’s heart. The main characters Ralph, Jack, Piggy and Simon
are used to represent different parts of the society. Ralph represents the group of the people
who represents civilization, manners and ethical values who stress upon the need of decent
shelters, whereas Jack represents the group of people who cherish in enjoyment and killing time
in useless activities.
Piggy on the other hand represents the group of people who are innovative and loyal and
Simon is representing humanistic part of society.

Religious Allegory

The main character Simon represents Jesus Christ who was mercilessly killed by the society
when he tried to educate them about the right path. In the novel Simon rushes back to the boys
to tell them about the reality about the “beast” who was actually a person hanging with a
parachute. Ralph represents the people who have some moral values but due to the changing
circumstances they lose them.

Political Allegory

As the novel deals with the war time where democracy crumbles down and a fascist group
takes the charge. In the novel “Lord of Flies” by “William Golding” Ralph represents
democracy and Jack represents dictatorship. In the beginning the boys elect Ralph as their
leader but later on Jack gains the power and boys joined his tribe.

6. Plot:

Plot is a structure format of progression of events. A conventional plot follows following

elements
1. Exposition
2. Rising Action
3. Climax
4. Falling action
5. Ending

1. Exposition
Exposition is the introduction of characters and setting. It is the first element of
conventional plot whereas contemporary and post-contemporary writers do not
necessarily follow the sequence.
In the novel “Lord of The Flies” by William Golding, the characters are exposed at
the start of novel. Piggy and Ralph can be seen talking to each other on the island
when the action starts. We are told that the group of boys is stranded on the Island as
 their plane crashed while escaping from a Nuclear World War. Jack as the
representative of dictatorship is introduced as antagonist.
ii. Rising Action:
Rising action starts soon after the exposition of characters and setting. It introduces the
conflict at the initial stage which would eventually rise during climax. It instigates suspense
in the minds of readers to prepare themselves for the upcoming action.
In the novel “Lord of The Flies” by William Golding the rising action starts when the
“Littluns” start talking about the “Beast” in the jungle. It creates suspense among the
readers regarding the existence of gigantic monster. This notion creates fear among the
boys when Jack comes out to be a rescuer with his stick called spear. This is the point
where the term “Savages” starts to get its meaning.
iii. Climax
Climax is the element of plot which is considered to be the most thrilling and intense. It
attracts the attention of the readers and increases their interest to figure out the turning point
of the story.

In the novel “Lord of The Flies” by William Golding the situation intensifies when the
power of democracy starts to “shred away”. The supporters of Ralph join the company of
Jack who is representative of dictatorship and fascist group. During the course of the novel,
the beast in the forest starts to materialize. Simon who represents morality and religious
values is mercilessly killed by savages. The readers wait for the final action as it creates
suspense among them whether Ralph would be able to return to his country or would be
killed as he is being chased by the savages. The savages claim the death announcement of
Ralph as they had already smashed Piggy.

Iv. Falling action

Falling action resolves the conflict and the situation which is heightened during the climax
is decreased. It is also called denouement or anti-climax. It also helps the readers to deduce
the coming ending of the story. This is the moment when the character stars to face his rise
or fall,
In the novel “Lord of The Flies” by William Golding the falling action is quite obvious
when Ralph survives and is being rescued by naval officer along with other boys. The
whole island is on fire when the young boys who were called “savages” and “figures”
come out with soot marks on their faces. Their spears become pointed sticks and the whole
intensified the situation of killing becomes a child’s ordinary play.

v. Ending
Ending is the message of the writer after presenting the action. In the conventional plot
ending is considered to be the last part of writing process whereas contemporary and post-
contemporary writer do not necessarily end their writing with specific message. More
often they leave their writing open-ended for the readers to deduce the message. It is also
observed that they might start the writing with the end to create suspense and confusion
among the readers.
In the novel “Lord of The Flies” by William Golding to conclude we can say the loss of
innocence is the evident theme of the novel.
 “He Wept for the loss of innocence and for the darkness of men’s heart.”
Loss of innocence is shown through the characters in a progressive way as the lack of
moral that brings down the innocence makes them do horrible things as cannibalism and
other things that are worst as the time passes.
The author wants to say that no matter who you are or what education you have received
because when people are in difficult moments of their lives, their evil side appears, losing
all the civilized way of behaving as this part is always present in all humans despite their
social economic class.

7. Tone
In literary terms, tone typically refers to the mood implied by an author’s word choice and the
way that the text can make a reader feel. The tone an author uses in a piece of writing can
evoke any number of emotions and perspectives.
The writer’s choice of diction reveals his or her tone. Tone is often expressed by the connotation
of words. The tone can be serious or ironic, happy or sad, bitter or nostalgic, humorous, sarcastic
and so on.
In the novel “Lord of The Flies” by William Golding the tone is fairly aloof, creating a
sense of removal from the events. The boys on the island generally treat each other with a lack
of sympathy. Similarly overall tone of the novel expresses neither shock nor sympathy
towards what happens.
Events such as deaths of Piggy and Simon are related in matter-of-fact detail: “Piggy fell
forty feet and landed in his back across the square red rock in the sea, his head opened,
and stuff came out and turned red” the tone here is resigned, expressing no surprise at the
violent death of one of main characters.
Throughout the novel Golding tone when describing nature is anxious and distrustful. He
personifies nature as violent, vengeful and destructive force that elicits the boys’ most savage
natures.