Lord of the Flies Group

Question:

lacie
lacie
Student
High School - 10th Grade

What was the symbolic role of fire in The Lord of the Flies?

Beginning with the raging fire that kills the small boy, the changing role of fire between Jack's tribe and Ralph's, and finish with the fire that destroys the island and brings rescue.

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Posted by lacie on Wednesday July 25, 2007 at 9:08 AM and tagged with lord of the flies, symbolism, themes.

Answers:


  1. renelane Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The role of fire with respect to Ralph's tribe, is associated with positive benefits, warmth, rescue signals, and cooking, yet in Ralph's it is used for more destructive purposes-he uses fire as an agent to flush his foes out into the open to slaughter.

    The destructive descent of the use of fire begins with the death of the small boy, the boys were careless and inattentive to the power and force of fire, and failed to respect the power.

    Finally, the fire ends with a positive fire, the destructive fire that destroys the island brings rescue, thus ending the savagery on the island.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/flies/themes

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    Posted by renelane on Tuesday November 6, 2007 at 7:02 AM