Symbolism In Lord of the Flies: What the Objects Really Mean The Lord of the Flies is a gripping tale in which William Golding, the author, traces the problems of society back to those of human nature. Throughout this novel, Golding uses symbolism by implying a deep message through objects in the story. The pig’s head on a stick, the masks, and the conch are all important symbols in the novel that have both a significant meaning and an effect on the actions of the characters. The pig’s head on a stick was a symbol of all that was evil and unreasonable on the island. It was, in a sense, the devil but without the re