If they keep the fire going, a ship sailing past might spot the smoke and rescue them. However during the journey of the novel, innocence and goodness slowly unravel. These once “innocent” or “good” elements can evolve into something fearful. In this case, Ralph was voted chief democratically leaving him in power to make decisions . He chose a group of boys to keep the fire going and to see to it that everything ran smoothly at this time, it was already hard enough to keep control of the group of boys.
However unbeknown to Ralph something with such a pure purpose could urn into a weapon of mass destruction. The fire raged out of control. It evolved from a simple fire made for warmth into a vicious authoritativeness’s, spreading across the island. Destructiveness’s not only gobbled up trees and wild life but took the life of a young boy known for his monomolecular birth mark. No matter how innocent something or someone might seem, the way they turn out in the end is always determined by the people governing the matter.
The fire comes to represent the savagery of the boys as their tribal dances get acted out around this once-innocent fire. The fire now becomes a symbol of and contributing factor to their barbaric ways. The yellow-red flames of the fire grow higher and stronger, as if nature is trying to cleanse the island of human destruction. The fire thereby becomes a symbol of purification. William Gilding’s core message that was portrayed throughout the novel by using the symbol of the fire was effective.
It carries a lot of meaning and therefore I would not have chosen or changed anything concerning his choices of cosmetology. After the nightmare of a crash took lace, the surviving group of boys met they started a clan they became a small democratic society in which a chief was elected and rules and goals were established to ensure the boys survival on the island. As tension starts to build up on the island ,so too did fear and denial increase. There was an incident in which one of the little ones of the group was convinced that he had come across a “beastie”.
Ralph the elected chief denied any assumption regarding the existence of any kind of a “beastie” or possibility of a supernatural being. This was an attempt by Ralph to avoid the group of boys going control or order. As the novel progresses, we witness the degradation and loss of civilization. The more the boys descend into savagery, and the more mental deterioration takes place, the more the boys start believing that they saw a “beasts’ up on the mountain. However Simon soon points out that if there is anything to fear, it is the boys themselves.
This was still during the beginning phases of the novel , the more things started deteriorating , the more the boys started losing control of themselves and their loss of chi lid-like innocence which brought out their more bestial side. As survival on the island became less of a focal point, hunting activities and rituals became more prominent. Jack and his hunters started sharpening sticks and using camouflage . This shows how they were evolving into what they once fear. They were becoming the thing they increased. During one of their tribal dances they actually acted out how they ravisher killed pig like humanitarians.
They became so obsessed with the idea of there being a “beastie” that they would offer the head of their kill to the beast as a peace offering. Y doing this they believed that Thebes would not harm them. Simon being free spirited and innocent came across parachute. He was desperate to tell the others that he had discovered that what they understood to be the beastie was nothing but a dead parachutist. He ran across the island panting eager to share the news, little did he know that he was running into the kill zone of Jacks savages. The boys were in such a trance that they ripped Simons flesh from his body like he was a meal.
The jack who led his killing was the same oh who could not get himself to stick a pig at the beginning of the novel. He had now transformed behind his mask, into a murderous savage. The evil in these boys escalates to the extent that they kill two children and many other living creatures too. This beast is not a supernatural force on the island but rather, a sickness that is inside of each person. Given the opportunity evil will present itself. Therefore William Gilding’s choice and effectiveness symbol brought meaning to the message he Was trying to get across to his fellow readers.
