When Pig's Heads Talk

"What are you doing out here all alone? Aren't you afraid of

me?" asks a pig's head on a stick, covered in flies. But it's more that,

it's an entity, which is hidden within the depths of the book,

concealed for the reader to discover. The book Lord of the Flies by

William Golding contains symbolism all throughout the text, each

symbol to be interpreted in its own way.

The main symbol in Lord of the Flies is quite obviously, the Lord

of the Flies, which as aforementioned, is a pig's head on a stick,

covered in flies. The symbol represents the evil within the boys that

reside on the island. Each one corrupt in his own, fearing what

resides within them. Jack with his "macho" attitude, while he is a

leader, has actually took part in killing someone, but then again, so

has every boy there. This evil could also be interpreted as a loss of

innocence, in which the boys spiral from helpless little tykes to

voracious savages, living only to kill.

Another symbol, is just the flies residing upon the sow's head.

They seem to represent people that cling to evil, as though it would

their only chance of survival. An example of that would be a cannibal,

whose own desires have led him to feast upon flesh, and then, even

when he knows that what he has done is wrong, he continues to do it

until his disgusting gorging has ended with his capture and

punishment. Oddly enough, the flies are feeding on rotting flesh as

well.

Simon, the boy murdered by his peers, can be viewed as a

Christ figure. While some may say it is Ralph, Simon seems more like

a savior. He comes down from the mountain, bearing news of the

boys salvation from the beast that torments him and he is persecuted

by them, each one taking part in the frenzy of his death. He also

seems to be knowledgeable about things the boys can't comprehend.

He is always off in his own little world, pondering something that

most