Allegory

1
Allegory

• English 10 Honors

2
Allegory

• Allegory
• A specific type of symbolism.
• A genre of writing in which the objects, persons,
  and actions in a narrative have a symbolic
  meaning beyond the facts of the narrative (What
  does this mean?
• The story as a whole has a meaning beyond the
  literal interpretation.

3
Allegory vs Symbol

• They are similar but an allegory is sustained
  longer and is more fully detailed.
• Example In LOTF, Piggys glasses symbolize
  intellect and knowledge
• Example In LOTF, the allegory of Piggys glasses
  the eventual and unavoidable decline of mankind
  when faced with terms of survival.

4
Allegory

• To understand Allegory, you must first understand
  the difference between a literal interpretation
  and a figurative interpretation.
• Literal interpretation looking only at the words
  and plotnot looking at the symbolic nature of
  anything.
• Figurative interpretation looking at how the
  characters, plot, setting etc can be taken in a
  different context (metaphorically).

5
AllegoryA dying breed

• Allegories were often the method of choice in
  education many years ago. Why?
• As a form of entertainmentthrough childrens
  stories, fables, myths, legends, media, etc.
• They were easy to remember Easy to pass on
• Underlying principles were used for teaching
  lessons

6
Why the decline of the allegory?

• We are a LITERALISTIC CULTURE grounded in an era
  of INSTANT GRATIFICATION. We are tired of
  figuring out the message instead, we want it
  clearly delivered upfront.
• Remember when we talked about whether or not we
  liked the ending of LOTF and TKAM based on not
  knowing what happens and wanting to be slapped in
  the face with the message or any missing
  information
• This proves why allegories are becoming more
  difficult to comprehend
• LOTF is one of the last novels to have
  substantial allegories

7
Lets use an example that may be familiar to you

• "There are obvious layers of allegory in the
  movie Avatar. The Pandora woods is a lot like
  the Amazon rainforest (the movie stops in its
  tracks for a heavy ecological speech or two), and
  the attempt to get the Na'vi to 'cooperate'
  carries overtones of the U.S. involvement in Iraq
  and Afghanistan."
• The movie also connects to Pocahontas
• and her involvement with the colonization of
  Virginia and John Smith

8
The Boy Who Cried Wolf

• This childrens tale is an allegory for children
  who do not tell the truth and are not believed in
  the end.

9
Allegory within a Novel

• Lord of the Flies
• Read literally
• These boys are stuck on an island
• Ralph is the leader
• Jack is always fighting Ralph for power
• Simon is kind of strange

10
Lord of the Flies

• Can also be read as an allegory
• Religious Allegory
• Political Allegory
• Moral Allegory
• Social Allegory
• Psychological Allegory

11
Religious Allegory
Jack Evil
Simon Christ Figure
Ralph Everyman
Supports Ralph struggles to find his place
between Simon (who is always good) and Jack (who
is usually evil). Simon is tempted in the forest
by the Lord of the Flies (Beelzebub) just as
Jesus was tempted by the devil Simon is killed by
the tribe as he returns with the truth about the
beast just as Jesus is crucified for spreading
the truth.
12
Religious Allegory

• Ralph (Everyman), with hope of salvation,
• demeans Piggy (intellect) and cannot understand
  Simon (spiritual truth)
• in fact, Ralph helps to kill Simon because of
  his physical appetites and his desire to consort
  with violence and thrill seeking, which he has
  allowed to flourish by letting Jack (unreasoning
  carnality) corrupt the choir.
• Ralph cringes hopelessly and helplessly, a
  fallen creature, as hell fires advance.

13
Religious Allegory

• PIGGY the fall of mankind
• LORD OF THE FLIES Satan/ evil (living inside
  mankind)
• SIMON quiet/observer always does good to
  benefit others (littluns) used as the
  sacrificial lamb. His encounter with the LOTF is
  important because it represents something
  pure/good VS. evil in its worst form (Satan)

14
Simon as Christ Figure

• Simon is different he is laughed at, derided,
  rejected
• Simon is the original name of the apostle Peter
  Greek Petros meaning rock. Simons little chapel
  is a rock he gives Ralph faith he will be saved
  while standing on a rock
• Simon supports Ralph not Jack. He helps, he
  builds
• Simon is not afraid because he knows the beast
  does not exist as a physical manifestation. He
  has no evil in him therefore does not fear the
  beast.

15

• Simon stands between Ralph and Jack, between good
  and evil, yet he does not interfere Free will
• When Ralph says, Oh God, Oh God, Simon answers
  him. He later answers Ralphs thoughts when Simon
  says Youll get back.
• He feeds the children
• He is tempted, as if by the devil, to forget the
  truth and join the others.
• He climbs the mountain to get the truth (Moses
  may come to mind here)
• He returns with the truth but is killed by the
  boys
• He ascends to heaven (Pay attention to Goldings
  imagery)Reread the passage following Simons
  death

16
Religious Allegory

• The Garden of Eden the island
• Describes the perfect living condition with
  food/water, good weather, etc. Favorable details
  and somewhat happy life show its perfect
  state UTOPIA
• Golding portrays this Eden with a sense of evil
  at the same time to create a foreboding of
  something terrible. The island ends up in a state
  of misery DYSTOPIA

17
Comic Strip Interpretation
18
Political Allegory
JACK HITLER
PIGGY CHURCHILL
RALPH FDR
Think about it in respect to WWII Jack commands
his choir (and eventually his tribe) as a
dictator Jack constantly attacks Piggy, and Ralph
constantly stands up for Piggy Ralph attempts to
be a peacemaker, but he fails.
19
Political AllegoryAnother Look

• Think about the Cold War
• The world in the novel was divided into two
  camps.
• Free World vs Soviet Union
• Which characters represent these two camps?
• The Cold War brought about fears of atomic
  destruction those of which were materialized in
  LOTF

20
Moral Allegory
RALPH COMMON SENSE
JACK EMOTIONS
PIGGY INTELLECT
SIMON SOUL
21
Moral Allegory

• Ralph (common sense) attempts to balance Piggy
  (intellect), Jack (emotions), and Simon (soul)
  and fails, plunging into a world of chaos.
• How does this explanation fit with the actual
  plot of the story?

22
Social Allegory

• Social Allegory Ralph (government) tries to
  balance Jack (power), Piggy (technology), and
  Simon (soul) and fails as power warps technology,
  destroys humanism, and attempts to abolish
  government.
• How does this fit with the plot of the story?

23
Social Allegory
SIMON
PIGGY
JACK
RALPH
24
Allegory

• Other examples of allegories include
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S.
  Lewis
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne

25
Importance of Names Used in the Novel

• RALPH Anglo-Saxon word meaning council
• PIGGY vulnerability comparable to vulnerability
  of pigs on the islandhow much the others have
  disliked him because of his intelligence
  (pigssmart)
• JACK Hebrew word Yakov meaning one who
  deceives or one who takes over
• SIMON Hebrew word one who listens one who
  observes was the original name for Christs
  disciple Peter
• SATAN Translated to Beelzebub (name of Satan)
  translated to Lord of the Flies (the pigs head
  surrounded by flies)

26
The island and the real world

• Examine the microcosm
• The island is a representation of what is
  happening in the outside world. Destruction and
  chaos are imitated within the society set up by
  the boys.
• Isnt it ironic
• Without realizing it, the boys have created the
  same society from which they were being
  protected.

27
Major Themes in LOTF

• Darkness of the heart is an innate human trait
• Anarchy and savagery are direct results of mans
  inability to follow societys set rules
• Our morals are a direct result of our
  surroundingIf our environment fails, our morals
  fail and the human race/civilization ultimately
  fails