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Lord of the flies by William Golding
Fire, in the Lord of the Flies, is introduced as highly destructive and dangerous. This is due to the fire on the plane as the boys are being shot down. The pure destructive nature of fire can be described by Piggy, "When we was coming down I looked through one of the windows. I saw the other part of the plane. There were flames coming out of it. " (-Golding pg. 8) These words from Piggy clearly show the fear and destruction given off by fire.
Fire: A thin line
Fire is developed further in the second chapter, Fire on the Mountain. Ralph and Piggy plan to create a fire for a smoke signal. They light the fire with the intention of rescue. As soon as they get it going, they get overzealous and greedy. They add too much fuel to the fire, and the destructive nature is released to burn far and out of control. Golding describes, " A tree exploded in the fire like a bomb. " (-Golding pg. 46) This shows the transformation and the very thin line between destruction and the safety and refuge in being rescued.
The final transformation is in the last chapter, A cry for the hunters. In contrast with the previous transformation, the fire crosses over from its destructive properties to its helpful and beneficial ones. This is due to Jack, the antagonist, using fire to help find and kill Ralph by smoking him out. Jack lights a destructive and uncontrollable fire in the forest to force Ralph out of hiding. As ralph runs away, the smoke from the fire signals the need of rescue to a nearby naval officer. "The officer grinned cheerfully at Ralph. We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something? " (-Golding pg. 201)This illustrates the thin line between safety and death.
Fire is a gleaming symbol in Lord of the flies. Golding depicts it as a thing line; It is the thin border between safety and destruction. " Under the thicket, the earth was vibrating very slightly; or perhaps there was a sound beneath the obvious roar of fire and scribbled ululations that was too low to hear " (-Golding pg. 198) This affects the world we live in very strikingly. Most poignantly, is with nuclear weapons. The United States has them to keep the nation safe. But if the need arises, they will be unleashed for the destruction of our enemy. The symbol of fire is used by Golding to warn us of the thin line between life and death, safety and destruction, and to be weary to cross it.
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by Chase Meadows
