The Lord Of The Flies: Allegory Essay

The definition of an allegory is a symbolical narrative, and that describes the novel, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding perfectly. The story is about a group of young boys who get stranded on an island and they more have to survive themselves than any other real obstacle. This novel can be viewed as an allegory in three different senses, 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. To understand this you need to look at the state of the world at the end of World War II. During this period of time the world was divided into parts; the free world and the Soviet Union. In this novel its just like how the island divided into two groups; Jacks group and Ralphs group.

Plus, after the Cold War, the population was in fear of total atomic destruction of the world. In The Lord of the Flies the world is also on the verge of total destruction. This novel could also be seen as a warning to the leaders of the world.Second, this novel is a psychological allegory, more specifically a Freudian psychological allegory. Different characters were used to represent the different parts of the human psyche.

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Jack is used to represent the id, Piggy the superego and Ralph is the ego. As the id, Jack works to gratify his own impulses. While Piggy, representing the superego, tries to control Jacks impulsive behavior. Throughout the story, Piggy tries to keep peace between the two.Lastly, The Lord of the Flies, can be viewed as a religious allegory representing the Garden of Eden. The was a perfectly hospitable island; it had good food, good weather and good water.

The snake in the Garden that lures Adam and Eve to eat the apple is just like the beastie who tricks the other to do what they arent supposed to do. While Piggy and his death and the parachutist represent the fall mankind. Jack and Ralph can also easily be viewed as Cain and Abe. 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 its a political, psychological or religious allegory, the novel has far too many of examples to name them all. I really did enjoy this novel though, it kept my attention through most of the story.

During some parts I was smiling and laughing but for some of it I was almost crying. Overall, it was a great read.