Lord of the Flies Essay

The definition of an allegory is a â€Å"symbolic expression of meaning in story† (world English Dictionary). In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is about a group of young British boys who get stranded on an island and have to survive themselves with no help from the outside world. This novel can be viewed as an allegory in three different ways, first as a political allegory, next as a psychological allegory and finally as a religious allegory. The Lord of the Flies can first be viewed as a political allegory. This is in comparison to World War II. At this time the world was divided into parts, the free world and the Soviet Union. In this novel it is just like how the island divided into two groups, Jack’s group and Ralph’s group. After the Cold War, the world was in fear of a nuclear destruction of the world. In The Lord of the Flies the world is also in fear of total destruction. In conclusion this novel could be used to compare wars or political separation with the outside world beyond the island the young British boys on. Second, this novel is a psychological allegory. Different characters were used to represent the different parts of the human psyche. Jack is used to represent the id, Piggy the superego and Ralph is the ego. As the id, Jack works to create his natural instinct. While Piggy, representing the superego, tries to control Jacks impulsive behavior his control back fires. Throughout the story, Piggy tries to keep peace between Jack and Ralph. Lastly, The Lord of the Flies, can be viewed as a religious allegory representing the Garden of Eden. The island was a perfectly livable island. It had food, warm weather, and a source of water. The snake in the Garden that lures Adam and Eve to eat the apple is just like the beastie who tricks the other boys to do what they aren’t supposed to do. While Piggy, his death, and the parachutist represent the fall mankind. Plus, Simon is kind of like a Christ figure who sacrifices himself to save the others. In conclusion, the book The Lord of the Flies is jam-packed with allegories. Whether it’s a political, psychological or religious allegory, the novel has far too many of examples to name them all.