Fire (Symbol)
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, the fire is a symbol for hope. To signal any passing ships, Ralph comes up with an idea to place a signal fire on top of the mountain on the island. Ralph, as leader, orders Jack and his choir to take care of the fire. Unfortunately, Jack and his team do not take care of the fire properly, and it goes out of control. As the fire goes out of control, so does the hope of leaving the island. The fire is no longer important to Jack's team, and this can be considered as a turning point in the novel. Ralph's authority is challenged, and the hope of escaping into freedom dies out with the fire.
Ralph waved the conch.
"Shut up! Wait! Listen!"
He went on in the silence, borne on in his triumph.
"There's another thing. We can help them to 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."
"A fire! Make a fire!" (2.8)
Ralph waved the conch.
"Shut up! Wait! Listen!"
He went on in the silence, borne on in his triumph.
"There's another thing. We can help them to 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."
"A fire! Make a fire!" (2.8)