How The Environment Is Symbolically Reflected In The Ethical Nature of the Characters In "Lord of the Flies"

In Lord of the Flies Golding uses symbolism to tell us that environment, actual of perceived, controls behavior. The white conch is symbolic of government structure and power. The Lord of the Flies represents the evil in human nature and the characters reveal the way they either are controlled by or control the beast. Golding states that his theme is "Society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political …

…the impulsive individual who gravitates toward evil which controls all the boys except Ralph who in the end is hunted like an animal. The primitive environment has changed the boys who become savages without the presence of adults or governmental controls of society. In other words, if the political safeguards of punishment for wrongdoing are removed and the environment is not controlled by man, then in order for society to continue individuals must be ethical.