Literary Device Week Day Three: Symbolism
Added 2024-08-28 11:23:42 +0000 UTCIn Lord of the Flies, a group of stranded boys use a conch shell like a talking stick. The boy with the conch is allowed to speak, and everyone else is required to listen. Once he’s finished, he passes the shell to another boy. In early meetings, life is orderly and everyone has a voice. We see references to this shell throughout the book, but by the end, Jack insists, “We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet.”
At this point, all hell breaks loose on the island. The conch becomes a symbol of democracy and order. It gives everyone a voice, and when it’s abandoned, violence prevails. Lord of the Flies is a powerful political allegory, partly because its symbolism is so strong. It allows Golding to discuss inaccessible politics in simple, organic terms.
Humans have a particular enthusiasm for symbolism. We use red roses to represent love and black sheep to represent rebellion. We use snakes in the grass and blood in the water. Symbols allow us to find a point of mutual understanding and express ideas more richly. The symbols I just listed are also cliches. As writers, we must create our own symbolism, just as Golding did. You might reference a warm blanket that disintegrates with the undoing of a relationship. You might reference Romeo and Juliet as a symbol of lost love. You might use an ever-present cat to echo a discovery of independence.
Like metaphors, symbols can squeeze a thousand words into one. They can change with your character and shed new truths on their story. Today, we’re going back to flash fiction so you can write your own symbols in short pieces. Please choose the length of your flash fiction. It can be anywhere between 200 and 1,000 words.
