Firstly, the fire is a symbol of destruction. In chapter four, the fire destroys the forest. It might have taken the life of the boy with the mulberry birthmark since the boy with the mulberry birthmark is never mentioned or seen again, Hence this fire that goes out of control represents the destruction that is brought about when there is no proper planning before execution of the fire. This is also seen in the last chapter of the book where the forest is lit on fire to hunt Ralph by Jack. Therefore, the fire is a symbol of mass destruction.
Secondly, and more importunely, the fire also represents the chance for rescue for the boys as it is the signal that is used to get the attention of pas in ships. It is also the crucial factor that caused them to miss a ship once when the fire was out in chapter five, due to the hunters not tending to the fire. This hope for rescue is a serious one as no one knew their exact location or what had happened to them since their plane had crashed. The loss of the ship once was therefore a tense situation as an extremely rare chance of getting rescued had just been missed. At the end of the book, the large fire of the whole forest catches the attention of the ship that came in to save the boys, however the whole fire had gone out of control, hence also relating to destruction. Thus, the fire was a symbol of destruction and hope for rescue.
-Valerie Tang and James Howe
Secondly, and more importunely, the fire also represents the chance for rescue for the boys as it is the signal that is used to get the attention of pas in ships. It is also the crucial factor that caused them to miss a ship once when the fire was out in chapter five, due to the hunters not tending to the fire. This hope for rescue is a serious one as no one knew their exact location or what had happened to them since their plane had crashed. The loss of the ship once was therefore a tense situation as an extremely rare chance of getting rescued had just been missed. At the end of the book, the large fire of the whole forest catches the attention of the ship that came in to save the boys, however the whole fire had gone out of control, hence also relating to destruction. Thus, the fire was a symbol of destruction and hope for rescue.
-Valerie Tang and James Howe