Throughout the novel, Golding presents fire as a symbol of hope and rescue. The boys know that their ability to tend the fire determines the likeliness of their return to civilisation. However, it’s not long before the boys begin to neglect the fire, thus Golding allows the fire to become a measurement of the strength of civilised instinct.
As chief, Ralph makes the fire his priority because “it’s the most important thing on the island,” but as soon as he mentions the prospect of starting one, the rest of the boys run off as their desire for fun overpowers their respect for the rules. This demonstrates how the naivety of the boys is going to prohibit them from getting rescued. Eventually the fire loses control and burns up all their firewood and kills “the boy with the mulberry birthmark”; this is ironic as the fire is supposed to be a symbol of hope and rescue. The first death on the island takes place because the boys are careless and dismissive of the rules, already Golding is hinting that a society without law and enforcement will inevitably fail. Nevertheless, the change in atmosphere from a prosperous adventure to an unforeseen peril left the boys ashamed and remorseful as they remain in touch with civilised life and are yet to lose sight of their morals.
By chapter 4 the purpose of the fire is now just a vague memory for some of the boys as their wish to hunt and kill has far overridden their desire to be rescued. Golding proves this when the hunters allow the fire to go out whilst a ship is going by in order to hunt, resulting in a loss of hope for the entire island. This is a prime example of how Golding uses the fire as an indicator of the dominance of civilisation, as this incident has highlighted the great descent in loyalty and remembrance of civilised life as well as the aim of being rescued. Ralph tells Jack, “you let the bloody fire out,” – this reaction shows how much the fire means to him. Not only does this crucial moment in the novel accentuate the accumulating tension between Jack and Ralph but also further indicates Jacks primal urges as he, “stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach,” under the pressure of humiliation and guilt.
By the end of the novel, the tribe set the whole island on fire as a means of killing Ralph; Golding leaves hints of their success as he describes the fire to sound like a “drum-roll”, the same description of the fire that killed the littlun. By this point, Ralph’s death seems inescapable, however the fire set out to kill him leads to their rescue as a naval ship goes by. This is ironic because despite being at the pinnacle of their barbarity, the boys safely return to civilisation.
The importance of fire in the novel is recognition of the boys’ devotion to civilisation and rescue. Despite the fire being guilty of a murder and potentially another, Golding still stays true to the symbol of hope and rescue because although it wasn’t the aim of the ending fire, the officers tell the boys, “we saw your smoke”, resulting in the rescue that Ralph had stayed faithful to.
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