福州大學本科生畢業論文PAGE18PAGE17ContentsChineseAbstract 2EnglishAbstract 31.Introduction 41.1ResearchBackgroundandSignificance 41.2LiteratureReview 52.SymbolisminLordoftheFlies 72.1SymbolofCharacters 72.2SymbolofImages 102.3SymbolofSociety 113.SymbolismofPessimisticConsciousnessinLordoftheFlies 123.1PessimisticConsciousnessofhumanity 123.2PessimisticConsciousnessofSociety. 133.3HopeofRedemption 144.Conclusion 15References 17

從象征手法分析《蠅王》中的悲觀意識摘要人性的善惡是古今中外每一個學者所探討的永恒話題。威廉·戈爾丁在其作品《蠅王》中描寫了一個被困在孤島上的孩子們所發生的悲劇，從而對人性的善惡進行了深刻的探討。該作品突破了之前的荒島文學描寫人們善的一面，通過描寫一群天真無邪的孩子墮落成為嗜血的野蠻人的悲劇反思了人性中的善惡觀念。豐富的意象和大量的象征一直以來是威廉·戈爾丁的寫作風格，而他特殊的時代背景則賦予了這本小說更加深刻的社會性意義。論文以戈爾丁的代表作《蠅王》作為研究對象，主要通過研究該作品中的象征主義來分析小說的寓意和作者的悲觀意識。本文主要從人物、意象、和社會性三方面入手，結合戈爾丁個人的生平經歷和寫作背景研究《蠅王》中的象征主義。對于該作品所體現的悲觀意識，從戈爾丁對人性和對社會的兩個方面切入，分析了小說《蠅王》中悲劇的必然性，并研究了戈爾丁對于人性和社會的悲觀看法，和他希望警醒世人的寫作目的。關鍵詞：象征主義；意象；悲觀意識；社會性

AnalysisofPessimisticConsciousnessinLordoftheFliesfromthePerspectiveofSymbolismAbstractWhetherthenatureofhumanisgoodorevilisaneternaltopicdiscussedbyscholarsfromhomeandabroad.InhisworkLordoftheflies,WilliamGoldingdescribesthetragedyofchildrenwhoaretrappedonanisland,andprofoundlyconsiderstheinstinctofhuman.Thisworkbreaksthepreviousdesertislandliterature’straditiontodescribethegoodsideofpeople,butdescribesagroupofinnocentchildrenwhochangefromciviltosavageinordertoreflecttheoriginofhumannature.WilliamGolding’swritingstyleisalwaysrichinimagesandsymbols,andhisspecialbackgroundgivesthisnovelaprofoundsocialsignificance.ThispapertakesGolding’smasterpieceLordofthefliesastheresearchobject,andmainlyanalyzestheallegoricalmeaningandpessimisticconsciousnessofthenovelfromtheperspectiveofsymbolism.ThispapermainlyanalyzesthesymbolisminLordofthefliesfromthreeaspects:character,imageandsociety,combiningwithGolding’spersonalexperienceandwritingbackground.Asforhispessimisticconsciousness,thispaperanalyzestheinevitabilityofthetragedyinLordofthefliesfromGolding’sviewpointofhumanityandsociety,andstudiesGolding’spessimisticviewofhumannatureandsociety,andhispurposeofwarningpeople.Keywords:symbolism;image;pessimisticconsciousness;sociality

Introduction1.1ResearchBackgroundandSignificanceWilliamGoldinghasaspeciallifeexperiencesothathisworksareprofoundandmeaningful.HeisdeemedasthethirdmostinfluentialEnglishnovelistbyTheTimes.Goldingisfamousforhiswritingstyle,andhisnovelsarealwaysfilledwithvariousimagesandsymbolism.Hisproductionsarethemirrorsofhisexperiences.Hewasborninamid-classfamilyinCornwallEnglandandreceivedagoodeducationinOxfordUniversity.Becauseofabundantclassicalliteraturereading,Golding’swritingcareerstartedattheageof7,andattheageof12hetriedtowritehisfirstrivernovel.InOxfordUniversity,hismajorisEnglishliterature,duringthetimehepublishedhisfirstproductionPoemsin1934,butitwasunderwhelming.BeforetheSecondWorldWarGoldingworkedasamiddleschoolteacher.DuringtheWar,hejoinedtheUnitedKingdom’sRoyalNavy.Golding’spointviewtohuman’snaturechangeswhenheexperiencesthewar.Asmostofthephilosophers,Goldingalsoconsiderswhethergoodnessorevilishuman’snature.Heeverbelievesinthegoodnature,buthisexperienceintheSecondWorldWarchangeshismind.Thepessimisticconsciousnessbecomesthethemeofhiswriting.AsanironyofTheCoralIslandwrittenbyR.M.Ballantyne,GoldingwritesthenovelLordoftheFlies.Goldingconsidersitdifficultthathumanbeingscanmaintaincivilizationwithouttherestrictionoflaw.Itisthenovelthatshockedtheworld,andwontheNobelPrize.Hewritesthemythfromtheperspectiveofrealism.Heworkshardasawriterinordertowarnhumanbeingstheymayfallintotheabyssunconsciously.Goldinghateswarandhumans’evilinstincts,buthisworksintendtowarntheworldratherthansimplycriticizetheinstinct.Thisnoveliswrittenintheageof“AngryYoungMan”inEngland.Writersinthatperiodoftimetrendtobecynical.Theyattributetragediestosocialproblems,andcriticizetherottenworld.However,Goldingthinksthetriggerishuman’snatureratherthanthesociety.Heholdsthepessimisticpointtohuman’snature.Hedoesn’tchoosetobeacynicasthe“AngryYoungMan”writer.Hewritesnovelsinordertotelltheworldtopayattentiontotheirfragilecivilizations.Influencedbyhisearlywritingexperiences,hisnovel’sthemeisoftenexpressedbymyth.Hispessimisticconsciousnessisnotjustakindofdesperation.Onthecontrary,it’sakindofhope,andforthisreasonheisalsocalled“thescriptwriter”.LordoftheFliestellsustherelationshipbetweencivilizationsandchaos,andtheconsequencebetweenhuman’snatureandtheworld.Thesocietyconsistsofindividuals,soeachoftheindividualsisanimportantpartforthewholeworld.Individuals’essencecanbecalledindividuality,andbillionsofpeopleexpresstheirmindsastheformofcommonness.Inacivilizedworld,individualsmaydestroythecivilizationsuchasdelinquency.Ifthesocietyisoutoflaw,civilizationwillfallintochaosandendlesswars.TheauthorbelievesGolding’snovelLordoftheFliesisnotjustasimplefableinordertocriticizehuman’sevilnature.Thestudyofsymbolismofthisnovelshouldnotbeseparatedfromthetheme.Thispaperwillconnectthenovel’scharacters,imagesandsocialevents’symbolicsignificancetoanalyzeitstheme.SymbolismisakindofliterarygenrethatappearedfirstinFranceinthe1880sandlaterspreadthroughouttheEuropeandAmerica.Itisalsoabasiccreativeaestheticsgenerallyfollowedandadoptedinwesternliteratureinthe20thcentury(王悅,2008:1).Thiskindofwritingtechniquestartsataveryearlyageevenintheperiodofromanticism.Asweknow,romanticismaimsatexpressingtheemotionsandsignificancedirectly.Onthecountry,Symbolismpaysattentiontoimplyingandconcealing.Symbolismisbeingdividedintopre-symbolismandpost-symbolism.However,thetwoclassificationsarenotverydifferent.Bothofthemaimsatcreatingthepathologicalbeautyinordertoconstructtheinnerreality.Post-symbolismemergedaftertheFirstWorldWar,anditwaswhenGoldingwroteLordoftheFlies.Theacademicworldhaspaidattentiontoitsmeaningfromanearlyage,andthispaperwillresearchitssymbolismandpessimistictheme.Golding’sproductionsarealwaysfilledwithvariousmythsandsymbols.Heisgoodathidingthethemeintheimages,andhissymbolismiscomplexandprofound.Totallyspeaking,thispaperisgoingtoanalyzeWilliamGolding’spessimisticconsciousnessfromtheperspectiveofsymbolism.1.2LiteratureReviewTheforeignresearchesonWillianGoldingandhismostfamousnovelLordoftheFliesareprofoundandcomprehensive,andtheresultsarefruitful.Scholarsfromdifferentcountriesusethetheoriesofphilosophy,theology,psychology,sociologyandlinguisticstoresearchhisworksfromtheperspectivesofsocialhistory,mythologicalprototype,feminismandnarrativestructure.Variousperspectiveshavebeenadoptedsincehisnovelfirstcametotheworld.Withthedevelopmentofmodernliteraturenewperspectivesareemerging.Themainperspectivescanbesummarizedasfollows.Mythfableisanimportantresearchingperspective.Goldingoncegeneralizeshisnovel’sthemeaspessimism.Becauseofhisworks’negativecontent,theearlyresearchesareaboutemotion.ThecriticV.S.PritchettandHowardS.BabbthinkGolding’snovelsrevealthepessimisticemotionandthethemeis“pain”,andFrankKermodeattributes“pain”tothe“originalsin”afterhissystematicresearch.Frankconsidershumansborntobesinfulandvictimsmightbeinjureratthesametime(citedby侯靜華,2014:5).In1957,JohnPeterfindsthatGolding’snovelsareoftenfilledwithallegoricalmetaphorswhichattributehumancrisestotheirevilnatureandputoutthetheoryoffable.OnthebasisofJohnPeter’sresult,IanGregorandMarkKinkead-WeeksalsoanalyzingGolding’sproductionsandpointtheircommentsthatGolding’sworksaremorelikeamyththanafable,andtheypublishtheircommentinthebookWilliamGolding:ACriticalStudy(citedby張瑜,2015:6).Anotherfruitfulperspectiveofresearchesisthereligioussymbol.Withtheinfluenceofhisfamily,GoldingisnotatypicalChristian,butscholarsfindthecharactersandimageshavestronglyreligioussignificance.WaylandYoung(1957)analyzesGolding’sworksandfindshimpaygreatattentiontothereligiousviewofcontemporarypeople,andresearchesthesymbolismofreligioninhisworks.In1961FrankKermodenoticesthatinGolding’sworksheattributestheviolenceandchaosofsocietytohuman’soriginalsin,andhefindsthatGolding’ssymbolismofreligionaimstofindthesourceofhumanityratherthanthesystematizedreligioustheory(citedby侯靜華,2014:5).Someoftherecentresearchesareaboutfeminismandnarratology.Bernard.F.Dick(1987)believesthatitisdifficulttohaveaharmonioussocietywithoutwomeninLordoftheFlies.PatrickReillyalsopublishesherbookLordoftheflies:FathersandSons,toprovethisviewin1992(citedby易敏,2018:3).Inaddition,narratologyhasalsobecomeavitalanalysisperspective.In1986PhilipRedpathanalyzesthestructuralisminWilliamGolding:AStructuralReadingofHisFictions.Theresearchesabroadmainlystudythesymbolicmeaningoffableandreligion.Inthispaper,theauthorwillcontinuetheresearchfromtheperspectiveofsymbolismandanalyzeitsredemptionenlightenmentinGolding’spessimisticconsciousness.Comparedwithforeigncountries,ChineseresearchesonLordoftheFliesstartlate,andtheresearchesarestillintheexploratorystage.Duetohistoryoftranslationandideologyissues,domesticresearchesdonotpayattentiontoGolding’sworksuntilthe1980s.ThefirstdomesticscholarwhonoticesGolding’sLordoftheFliesin1981isChenKun.Hepreliminarilyanalyzesthisnovelfromtheperspectiveofsymbolism,buthisworkdoesnotcatchpublicattentionuntil1983whenLordoftheFlieswinstheNobelprize.Atthesametime,thedomesticresearchesonGolding’sworkscometoanewterritory,andstarttodevelopatahighspeed(易敏,2018:3).Domesticresearchescanbeapproximatelydividedintofourperspectives.Firstly,themainstreamresearchdirectionistheevilofhumannature.WeiYingchaocitesalargenumberoforiginaltextstoprovethedarksideofhumannaturebyanalyzingwhytheinnocentchildrengraduallybecomecrazy,andillustrateshuman’sevilnature.InAnalyzingtheviewofhumannatureinLordoftheflies,LiXiaofang(2005)proposesthathumannaturehasduality.Itisnotjustpuregoodorevil,butinfluencedbytheenvironment.Bothofthescholarshavediscussedthenature.Inadditiontothepopulartopicofhumanevil,thenarrativestructureofLordoftheflieshasalsoattractedmanyscholars.Thetheoryofliterarynarrationisanimportantresearchmethod,whichcondensestheessenceandmainideaofthestory.HeZhaohui(2010)analyzestheironyofsituationandstructureinLordofthefliesfromtheperspectiveofnarrativestructure,anddiscussesGolding’sbreakthroughinthetraditionaldesertislandliterature.HeZhaohuiproposesitagiantchangethatGoldingcreativelyconstructstheironicplotstructure,breakingthroughthetraditionalmodefrom“desertisland”to“paradise”.Thewholenarrativeisapowerfulironicnoteonhumannature.Asforeigndevelopment,Gynocriticsbecomesanimportantperspective,andthemostrepresentativepaperiswrittenbyWangXinweiRiseandFallofPhallcentrism:AFeministApproachtoLordoftheFlies.AlthoughLordofthefliesconstructsthetextagainstthebackgroundoffemaleabsence,thispaperelucidatesthatithasbeenregardedasa20thcenturymaleclassicbyChineseacademicsforalongtime.Itstotalstructurepresentsthecharacteristicsoffemalewriting.Thefollowingscholarsfurtherillustratetherationalityandnecessitytotheabsenceofwomen(citedby于開顏,朱利娟,2007:11).Besides,domesticscholarsalsopaidalotattentiontothemythprototypestudy.Therelativemythologicalarchetypecanbefound,sothatitleftroomforscholarstousemythologicalarchetypestoanalyzethetexts.Forexample,HuLeiandWangXiaoMeidiscussedthemappingbetweenthecharactersinthearticlesandthoseinGreekmythologyandthebible.Thistopichasalsobecomeaclassicperspective.SymbolismisavitalanalysismethodforGolding’sworks,andthisarticlewillalsoresearchthefurthermeaningfromtheperspectiveofsymbolism.ThispaperwillresearchGolding’spessimisticconsciousnessinLordofthefliesfromthreeaspects:character,imageandsociety.Intermsofcharacters,thecharactersinthenovelhavetheirownmythologicalarchetypes,implyingtheirrespectivefates.What’smore,differentimagesandscenesindifferentperiodsinthenovelalsoindicatethedevelopmentofthestory.Inaddition,therearealotofsocialsymbolsinthenovel,includingtheauthor’shintsonthebackgroundofthetimesandthehopeofredemption.2.SymbolisminLordoftheFlies2.1SymbolofCharactersReadersneedtocomprehensivelystudyGolding’ssymbolisminordertounderstandhiswritingpurpose.Traditionalsymbolismfocusesondescribingtheinnerfeelingsofindividualsandrarelyreferstosocialthemes.Intheperspectiveofartisticmethod,symbolismholdsatotallydifferentviewtowardsthevagueandemptyrhetoricexpression.Itattachesgreatimportancetousethemeaningfulimagetocreateliteraturebyhint,contrastandassociation.Golding’ssymbolismisnotaneasyconceptorwritingtechnique,butasymbol.Thenovelisfilledwithimages,whichgothroughtheentirestory.Thesymbolofthecharactersisthebasisofthesystem.Goldingcreatesthecharacterswithdifferentsignificanceinthisnovel.Charactershavedifferentpersonalitieswhichimplydifferentpeopleintherealworld.Ralphservesasthesymbolofrationalityanddemocracy.TotalkaboutRalph,thearchetypeofRalphisApollo,therepresentationofrationalityandcivilization,andtherearealotofsimilaritiesbetweenRalphandApollo.HeroesinancientGreekmythologyfrequentlyhaveagrandfigureandhandsomeappearance.“Youcouldseenowthathemightmakeaboxer,asfaraswidthandheavinessofshoulderswent,buttherewasmildnessabouthismouthandeyesthatproclaimednodevil”(Golding,2006:6).Astheancienthero,Ralphalsohasastrongfigureandinnocentheart,andhisimagemakeschildrenfeelsafe.Ralphisborninamid-classfamily,andwell-educated.Heisoptimisticwhentheylandontheisolatedisland,becausehebelieveshisfatherinthenavywillsavethemsoonerorlater.Ralphisthesymbolofdemocracyandcivilization.“Heischosenasleader.Heisdemocracy.Andaslongastheconchremains,thereissomesemblanceofcooperation.Butitgetssmashed”(E.M.Forster,ⅷ,1962).ThefailureofRalphisthecollapseofdemocracyandcivilization,andhisdefeatisunavoidable.Ralphsummonsthechildrenontheislandbyblowingtheconch.Thechildrenraisehimastheleaderontheisland,becausehiswordsandfigurecanbringthembrightnessandsenseofsafety.Ralphrequirestheboyskeepthehabitsinthecivilizedworld,andhebelievesthattheywillsmoothlycarryouttheworksandprinciples.Heknowsthemostimportantthingistomakeupasignal.So,theychoosetolightafire,andsustainthefirewiththepurposeofcatchingtheattentionofpassingships,althoughnobodycangivetheexacttime.Heunderstandsthatbeingsavedisthemostimportantthingandtrieshisbesttokeepthesignalfire.JustasApollobringsthejusticeandrationalitytohuman,Ralphbringschildrenthehopeofbeingsaved.Heisbornaleaderwhocanbringthegoodsolutiontopeople;however,hefailsintheend.Ralph’srequirementscouldhaveledthemtothehappyending,butontheisland,thereisnoforcetosecurethathisrequirementswillbeconstantlyexecuted.Jackisthetypicalsymbolofautarchy.Heisarrogant,short-sightedandeagerforpower.Mostofusbelievetheoppositeofdemocracyisautarchy,sotheoppositeofRalphisJack,whowantstobreaktherestrictionofcivilizationanddowhatevertheywant.Theirconflictspromotethestoryandendwithatragedy.Jackrepresentstheoriginalimpulseinhumannature.Jackistheleaderofhischoir,andhewantstobetheleaderontheisland.HelosestoRalphatfirst,buthealwaystriestoreplaceRalph,andabolishtherules.Jack’smytharchetypeisDionysus,thesymbolofirrationality.ThespiritofDionysusistobreaktherulesandpursuetheoriginaldesires.Jackisalsoeagerforpowerandfreedomwithoutanyrestrictions.Atfirst,hestillrememberstheimportanceofsustainingthesignalfire,buthewantsmoretohuntinordertoestablishhisprestige,andmaketherulesbyhisthought.Influencedbythecivilizationhisoriginalimpulseisdepressedatfirst.Hisfirsthuntingcomestonothingbecausehedoesn’tdaretokillthepig,andheisafraidofbleeding.However,hebecomescrazierwhenhefindsnobodycanrestricthimontheisland,andhebreakstherules.Heisaddictedtohunting,andlosesthechancetobesaved,becausehecallsthechildrentohunt,thefiregoesoutwhenashippassesbytheisland.Ralphunderstandstheirprimaryaimistobesaved,butJackthinkshuntingcanbringthemmeatandincreasehispower.Hisbehaviorrevealsthatheisshort-sighted.Butironically,mostofthechildrenaresimilartoJack.PoliticallyandanthropologicallyJack’sorderismoreinstinctivebutstrongerthantheordersgivenbyRalph(Older&Weintraub,1963:94).Finally,Jackbecomestheleader,anditisthetriumphofhuman’sevil.Piggyisfat,weakandfunny,butheisthesymbolofwisdom.Matureandloyal,heisthefirstonetomeetRalph.Piggy’sexperiencescanbeassociatedwithjokers,funnyandinsignificant.ThatisexactlywhatGoldingwantstoexpressthatpeopledon’trespectwisdom.Piggyisthemostsensibleandcleverboyontheisland,whoseglassesalsoplayavitaleffectforraisingthefire,butnobodyrespectshimeventheirleaderRalph.Nomatteratschoolorontheisland,Piggyhasneverbeenrespected.Piggybelievesindemocracyandscience,andsuggestsRalphsummonthechildrenbyblowingtheconch.PiggyhelpsRalphbuildtheorder.However,lackingnecessarilyexecutiveforce,Piggyevenfailstocollectalistofnames.ThesickandweakimageofPiggyrevealsthefragilityofwisdom,andhisdeathistheproofthatthechildrenbecometotalsavages.Simonisthesymboloftruthandredemption.Heistheprophetwhofindsthetruthandtendstotellpeople.Atthesametime,heisthemartyrwhodiesforhuman’smania.Heistheonlyonewhocanstopthetragedy,butdiesasthelightfadesinthedarkness.Simonisthefirstchildsupposingthebeastsshouldbeinexistent,andhefindsthetruthalone.Heisnobleanddignifiedasanapostle,andheistheonlychildwhocanresistthetemptationofthemeat.ThedeathofSimonistheendingoftruth.“Youareasillylittleboy.”saidthelordoftheflies,“Justanignorant,sillylittleboy”(Golding,2006:199).GoldingwritesascenethatSimonstaresatthepig’sheadandfeelingheiscommunicatingwiththelordoftheflies,Beelzebub.Simonwantstotellthechildrenthetruth,butheisfinallykilledbythechildrenthathewantstoprotect.Itseemslikehumansburytheironlychanceduetotheirignorance.Ontheisland,childrenfallintosavageswhentheykilledtheprophet.Intherealworld,Simoncanberegardedastheforesightedscholarsbuttheirwarningsarealwaysneglected.Humanswagewarsbecausetheyrefusethegoodsolutions.So,Simonisalsothesymbolofredemption.Asfortherelativelyyoungchildren,theyarethesymboloftheordinarypeople.Thenamelesschildrenrepresenttheunconsciouscollectiveinthesociety.Theydon’tmindwhethertheycouldsustainthefireandtheycan’thunteither.Thelittlechildrencan’tfinishtheirwork,andtheyonlywanttoplay.Theyholdanindifferentattitudetotheircircumstances,andtheyonlycareaboutfood.Intherealworld,theordinarypeoplepaymostattentiontotheirlives,ratherthanthefutureoftheircountryandsociety.It’snotwrong,butthiskindofattitudewillbecomeevilwhentheircountriesareledbyadictator.TheirunconsciousevilindirectlykilledinnocentpeopleasSimonandPiggy.2.2SymbolofImagesImageisthecarrierofsymbol.Thelargenumberofimagesinthenovelarethereflectionofthechildren’sencountersandimpliedthedevelopmentofthestory.Thefirstimageisthebackgroundofthestory,theisolatedisland.Thisisacompletelyisolatedislandsurroundedbysea.Itseemslikealittleworldseparatedfromthecivilworld.Goldingchoosestheislandastheimageoftheprimitivesociety,andbuiltthewholestory.Theislandisabitlikeaboat.Itisnotdifficulttoseethattheislandsymbolizestheboatofhumancivilizationandthedevelopment(王悅,2018:1).Goldingaimstosimulateacommunityundertheoriginalstate,anddeducttheendingofthisworldoutoflaw.Thetragedywarnstheworldofthepurefreedomwillfinallyleadtodevastationbecauseofhuman’snature.Theconchisthesymbolofpoweranddemocracy,butfragile.Theconchisnotonlytheearliestimage,butalsothemostmeaningfulimage.Ralphsummonsthechildrenbyblowingtheconch,andtheymaketherulethatonlythechildwiththeconchcanspeak.Itrepresentsthattheyhavebuiltthedemocracywhichissimilartotherepresentativesystem.However,thiskindofdemocracydoesn’thaveanyforcetoprotectitwillcarryoutsmoothly.Democracyshouldhavebeengoodforthewisemantousetheirwisdom,butactuallyalthoughPiggyisholdingtheconch,heisstillinterruptedrudely.Theirdemocracyisasfragileasconch,andfinallytheconchissmashedbythemselves.Goldingbelievedindemocracy,butinhiseratheworldwidewarmadehimdepressed,soheusedthisimageinordertoexpressthefragilityofdemocracy.Atthebeginningofthestory,fireisthesymbolofbeingsaved,butattheendofthestory,firebecomesthesymbolofdisaster.Firebringshumankindwarmthandcivilizationandguidesthemindarkness.Firecanroasttherawmeatandkillthedisease.Firecanbringpeopletocivilization.Thechildrenwanttolightthefireasasignalinordertonoticethepassing-byboatsinitially.Thelittlechildrenwanttokeepfirebecausetheyfeelcoldatnight.Firehasthepowertoburntheircivilizationstoashes.WhenJackandhishuntersbecameaddictedtohuntingandzealous,thefirebeginstoshowitsdestructiveforce.Intheendofthenovel,JackwantstoforceRalphsteppingoutoftheforest,andtheysetfiretoburnthewholeforest.Theusageoffireimpliesdegreeofchildrenchangefromciviltosavage.Maskistheturningpointofthenovel.Atfirst,theycolortheirfaceswithmudforhunting,butgraduallyJackfindsanotheroneinthewater.Themaskmakeshimstrangertohimself,andgetridofshame.Heconsidersallofhisbehaviorswillbeattributedtothestrangerratherthanhimself.Themaskoffersthemasheltertoforgettheirsenseofshame.Goldingwritesthisimageastheexternalizationoftheevilwithintheirhearts.Masksmakethemlikesavages.It’smetonymythatwritingthemasktopresentsavages.WhenJackwithhisfollowersareusedtowearingmasks,theyhavealreadybecomesavages.AnotherdetailisRalphfindsitdifficulttodistinguishtheindividualsinthem.It’ssimplyatruththattheyabandontheirindependentthought,butfollowinganillusionarycollectiveconsciousness.That’swhytheyneverfeelguiltywhentheykillSimon.Everysavagebelievesthatheisjustfollowingtheothers,butnobodywilltakeresponsibilitytothecommunity.EvenbothRalphandPiggyforgettostoptheminthatcircumstance.Thebeastisthesymbolofthedarknessinhuman’shearts.Thechildrendescribetheformofthebeastdifferently,butwecanfindthecommonpointthatthebeastcomesatnight.Thebeastistheembodimentoftheirfear,andthefearmakesthemeagertofindprotection.Ralph’swordsaresopaleincontrasttotheprotectionjack’shunters.Thesacrificetothebeastmeanstheygiveintothefear.Lordofthefliesisthevisualizedhuman’sevil.Theevilliesineveryone’sinnerheart,butimprisonedbythecivilization.Whentheysurrendertothebeast,theirtragedyisdestined.2.3SymbolofSocietyLordofthefliesisarguablyGolding’smostaccomplishednovel,whichreflectsthewesternsociety,historyandcivilization.However,ifwewanttounderstandtherealconnotationofthenovel,weshouldnotjustconfineittothecategoryofallegoricalliterature.Instead,weshouldstartwiththesignificanceoftheworldreflectedbythenovelandmakecleartherelationshipbetweenthenovelandtherealworld,soastofurtherunderstanditsmodernvalueaboutthesocialandhistoricaldevelopmentinthenovel(劉興沛,2018:3).Goldingexperiencesthesecondworldwar.Theimagesinthisnovelarenotonlysymbolsofconcepts,butalsocarriersofreality.Lordofthefliesistheexpressionofrealworld.Thenovel’sbackgroundisaresource-limitedisland,andboyscannotmaintainthesignalfireandfoodatthesametime.TheprimarycauseoftheoutbreakoftheSecondWorldWaristheunbalanceddevelopmentofcapitalistpoliticsandeconomy.Theworldwideeconomicdepressionresultsineconomiccrisistoeverycountry.Withthecollapseoftheeconomy,aterriblechainreactionquicklyensues,withbanksclose,factoriesclose,unemploymentproblemsandpoverty.Thecountriesareontheedgeofwar.Therearetwowaystosolvethecrisis,economicsorwar.Signalfireisthesymboloflong-termeconomicpolicy,andhuntingisthesymbolofshort-termpolicy,war.Ralphemphasizesformanytimesthattheywillfinallybesavediftheycanmaintainthefire,butnobodyknowswhenitwouldwork.Jack’sopinionishuntingtogetmeatand