William Golding was a master at weaving figurative language into his stories as a way of creatively describing important concepts that readers should take note of. Basically, figurative language departs from the literal meaning, using comparisons or connotative meanings to convey ideas in a unique manner. The most common types of figurative language are similes and metaphors, but there are many others, as well. In chapter 5 of Lord of the Flies, Golding uses a nice mix to exemplify the tension Ralph and the other boys are experiencing. Here are a few, in chronological order:
Oxymoron & epithet: As Ralph walks toward the platform to call a meeting, he faces the “concealing splendors of the sunlight.” Sunlight is generally revealing, making this a contradictory phrase. It is also an unusual adjective to describe sunlight, making it an epithet.
Metaphor: Worrying over how to handle this meeting, Ralph “lost himself in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them.” Although his mind is not literally a maze, this analogy works well, since Ralph often loses his train of thought, due to the stress he is under.
Simile: Ralph gets distracted when he suddenly realizes how dirty he is. “[H]e noticed --in this new mood of comprehension--how the folds [of his shirt] were stiff like cardboard.” This direct comparison helps readers almost feel the thick layer of grime that coats Ralph’s shirt. Kind of makes you want to take a shower, right?
Simile: Ralph looks at the gathered boys with the reflection of the water coming up from below the platform, “and their faces were lit upside down--like, thought Ralph, when you hold an electric torch in your hands.” Our modern comparison would be holding a flashlight under your face. It’s an eerie image, which shows that Ralph is a bit intimidated to face the boys, knowing that they won’t like what he has to say.
Symbolism: "Ralph felt a kind of affectionate reverence for the conch...He flourished the conch" which causes the boys to fall silent, waiting for him to begin. Later, when Ralph asks Piggy how he was brave enough to argue with Jack, Piggy replies with simple logic: “I had the conch. I had a right to speak.” Ralph could not run the meetings without the shell, around which they have formed rules of civilized behavior for meetings, using it kind of like a gavel. For Ralph and Piggy especially, it symbolizes order and civilized society, which is why they cling to it.
Simile & symbolism: “One had to sit, attracting all eyes to the conch, and drop words like heavy round stones among the little groups.” This comparison shows that Ralph knows his words must be carefully chosen to have an impact on the boys. It also furthers the symbolism of stones as a destructive force in their loss of innocence.
Metaphor: When the littlun Percival recites his full name and address, it brings his buried memories of home crashing down on him. ¨As if this information was rooted far down in the springs of sorrow, the littlun wept....A spring had been tapped, far beyond the reach of authority.¨ Likening the child’s memories to water buried deep in the earth is a fitting comparison, since the boy’s next reaction is to cry uncontrollably.
Personification: Golding frequently gives the ocean human-like qualities, which is fitting, considering that it is an antagonist, keeping the boys from their homes, families and normal childhoods. As it gets dark and the meeting turns to talk of beasts and ghosts in the forest, the boys ¨heard silently the sough and whisper from the reef.¨ Shortly later, a¨flurry of wind made the palms talk...Two gray trunks rubbed each other with an evil squeaking.¨ At night, the whole island seems to turn evil and come to life. Ralph realizes that this distracts the boys and admits to them that this is a bad time for a meeting.
Allusion: By the end of the chapter, when Jack has rejected Ralph’s authority and drawn the boys away with wild screams and laughter, Ralph feels hopeless. He suggests that he should give up being chief. Although Piggy and Simon stick by his side, he laments, "'Fat lot of good we are. Three blind mice. I´ll give up.'" The reference to the popular children’s song reminds us that these boys are supposed to be just kids. Instead, they feel small, helpless, and blind as they try to determine the answers to their increasingly hopeless situation.
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