Symbolism of the "Fire" in Lord of the Flies





The boys use a signal fire in the hopes of being rescued.

      The boys rely on the fire to maintain order and give hope to each other on being rescued off the island. Without fire, the boys will resort to savergy. During Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the fire is maintained on the top of the mountain, in the hopes of being rescued by a passing ship. Once the boys have trudged up the mountain, they must figrue out a way to create light and warmth. The boys also want the fire to send out a signal fire, in case of a passing ship in the distance. With the help of Piggy's specks, the fire is bright and aroar, sending out puffs and puffs of smoke into the darkening sky. The boys were overjoyed with hope and the very thought of being rescued off the abondoned island. "We've got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there.."(42). Ralph is making it clear that in order to be rescued, the fire must be kept lit. The fire represents the boys burning hope of being rescued off the island, and being taken back to civilization.The human nature of wanting to be with family and friends, and not be isolated from other people, creates the need to be off the island.The human nature of wanting to fight to stay alive will take control, but sometimes, only for a certain amount of time, before they have given up hope.  Despite the excitement of fire and smoke, the longer the boys stayed on the island, the more they turn to savergy. The fire does not become as big of a priortity. The boys would rather be hunting and killing pigs, growing farther and farther away from the civilized English boys they once were. "Ralph spoke again, hoarsley. He had not moved. You let the fire go out,"(70). The fire in the beginning was the boys main priority. As savergy became more of the obvious route, the boys forgot their need to be rescued. The boys lost hope in the fire, and let there animalstic, vicious ways show, instead of being the civilized, English boys they once were. As humans we eventually will give up hope on something that never seems to go our way or never seems to be looking up. Once the boys realized this, they stopped fighting to be rescued, and let the islands dark, unknown secrets, take over them. As the author writes Lord of the Flies, Golding shows the boys transition of well behaved boys to savage hunters, that would stop at nothing for the taste of meat. Golding starts this transition with loss of the fire. As the light dims, so does the boys hope of being rescued.