Game Of Life (Lof) Symbolise Essay, Research Paper

The Game Of Life

I once saw a movie about a man and his wife. They were stranded on a desert island. Together, alone, full moon and stars everywhere. Sounds romantic right? Wrong, no cooked food, fruit everyday, no hope for rescue or anyway to let anyone know where they were. Not so romantic, just deadly. Now, put a bunch of young kids on an island. Alone, no responsibility, no rules, sounds like fun and games. This game turns into the game of their life. It doesn t turn out very well for anyone but without Piggy s glasses it is the last game any of these boys will ever play. In William Golding s Lord of the Flies Piggy s glasses are a symbol of hope for rescue because they provide fire for survival, the smoke signal and represent Piggy s insight.

On area the glasses symbolize rescue is they make the fire so the boys can develop a smoke signal for passing ships to see. The boys have no radios, there aren t any cell phones, and they have no way to inform the rest of the world of their position on this huge planet. Then it hits them, We can help them find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire. (38) This is the first great idea they have to use Piggy s glasses. Ralph understands the importance of keeping the fire going. He knows the importance of a smoke signal. Jack lets the fire go out while hunting, and Ralph gets very angry. There was a ship out there They might have seen us. We might have gone home. You and your blood Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! (70) Without the smoke signal they never will be rescued, but thanks to Piggy s glasses, some quick thinking, and a lot of luck, they are.

A second area the glasses give hope is they provide the fire needed for survival. They need it to cook their food. If they have to be there for a long period of time they will be able for have cooked meat. Fire is a necessity for these boys, and without Piggy s glasses they will be completely lost. Piggy s specs If the fire is out, we ll need them. (67) In one instance the fire created by the specs gives the boys comfort and brings the boys back together, even after the separation. They share a common need for food. Tonight we re having a feast. We ve killed a pig and we ve got meat. You can come eat with us if you like. (140) During this period of segregation the tribes come together as one. This common need is one of the few things Jack and Ralph have in common, and this common need unites them. It is only for a little while, but for a short period of time they have a renewed sense of comfort and hope. All because of a small common goal made possible by Piggy s specs.

In addition, Piggy s glasses symbolize hope by representing Piggy s insight. This is partially the reason he develops into the person and leader he is at the end of the book. Through out the whole book, Piggy emerges into an entirely different person. At the beginning he is a kind of nerdy, shy, boy who is the subject of a lot of ridicule. He is Ralph s right hand man, sort of like the man behind the curtains pulling the strings and telling the chief what to do. Piggy is a pretty sensitive guy who takes orders and doesn t get much respect. You [Ralph] told em. After what I [Piggy] said About being called piggy. Better Piggy the Fatty. He [Ralph] said at last Now go back, Piggy and take names. That s your job. So long. (25) Piggy puts up with this stuff for a long time, almost through the whole book. Towards the end, Piggy evolves into a leader. He no longer just takes orders when something is wrong; he now gives his input, which is usually right. He isn t afraid to speak up anymore. Let me [Piggy] speak I got this{conch] to say. You re acting like a crowd of kids Which is better- to be a pack of painted Indians like you are or sensible like Ralph is? Which is better- to have rules and agree or to hunt and kill? Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up? ( )Piggy doesn t have his glasses and he is blind; people are throwing rocks at him, but they cant still can t quite the voice of Piggy, the insight and voice of a leader.

The boys in Lord Of The Flies have a total lack of hope for rescue except for Piggy s glasses. A small piece of plastic and some glass brings these boys through the hardest time of their life. The glasses mean different thing to each of the boys. Whatever that is, they owe the glasses their lives. Piggy cherishes his glasses and cleans them almost religiously. Piggy knows the importance of them and so did William Golding. The glasses are just what the story needs, a small bit of hope in a world of seemingly endless pain. Piggy s specs are a small bit of sanity in a chaotic world and without them the story wouldn t have a happy ending. Piggy s specs are not only a necessity to the boys, but also to the reader. It makes the story more believable and it makes you almost respect the resilience of the boys. The glasses really bring Piggy s character almost off the pages. You can really see the natural development of Piggy through out the book. The glasses put the final touch on a great novel.