The use of characters and symbolism to express ideas regarding civilization and human nature This essay is based on the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In this essay, the purpose is to provide a comprehensive discussion as to how William Golding uses both symbolism as well as characters in expressing his concepts regarding civilization and human nature. The author of this novel has extensively made use of symbolism and characters in expressing his own thoughts regarding civilization and human nature. Symbols are expressed by Golding using 3 vital objects which are: the eyeglasses of Piggy, fire and conch.