The novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding encapsulates the symbolism water throughout the story. This story demonstrates how without civilization we as a people become savages. Golding truly gets his point across in this anecdote. His argument is very convincing; he proves his outlook on people. He has a group of boys struggling between good and evil. In this intriguing yet horrid account of trying to survive in a world without civility Golding uses water to symbolize a group of boys new life, death, and spirituality in this now primitive and savage civilization. .
Greek philosophers believe water is the original beginning or source of all things made or formed, in other words, the source of life. Golding in some ways shares this same philosophy using water as a symbol of life in his story. "It is important to know that all life originates from the sea, where it arose in primitive form. This is significant for two reasons; it tells us that spirituality is an ancient and instinctive trait of man, and that the boys" society, that came away from the mountain (peak of society) and towards the ocean to kill Simon, had returned from civilization to a more primitive and savage form in doing so"(Online 1). Golding believes all life, even from the water is derived from evil; this philosophy is conveyed in his story when Jack reported to the tribe "He says the beast comes out of the sea (Golding 88)". In saying this it, shows death comes from the water too.
Golding's symbolism of water as death is depicted when some of the young boys within the story die. Each time a young boy dies "the sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink over the rock; and when it went, sucking back again, the body of Piggy was gone (Golding 181)" engulfed by his watery grave. The sea-engulfing Piggy symbolizes his death to the primitive and savage behavior the boys were becoming to know that as their way of new life.