Lord of the Flies William Golding Review

Ch. 9 “A View to a Death” Simon recovers from his seizure, goes to top of mountain and sees the parachutist Ralph and Piggy attend Jack’s feast – WHY? Jack “sat there like an idol” – recruits tribe members Does Jack actually believe in the Beast, or is he simply manipulating the boys by taking advantage of their fear? Ralph cannot maintain power by invoking the rule of the conch

Ch. 9 “A View to a Death” Approaching storm – ritual chant and dance as a distraction “There was the throb and stamp of a single organism.” Piggy and Ralph – on the outside of the circle – “eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society.” Simon stumbles into the center of the circle and is killed Parachutist flies over the heads of the boys and out to sea Simon’s body is carried out to sea by the tide

Ch. 10 “The Shell and the Glasses” Ralph, Piggy, Sam n Eric at Ralph’s camp Discussion between Ralph and Piggy regarding Simon’s death What did each see? What is the reaction of each to Simon’s death? Why does each react in this way? At Castle Rock, Roger admires the lever and rock and “the possibilities of irresponsible authority” -- What does this mean?

Ch. 10 “The Shell and the Glasses” Jack tries to explain to the other the events of the previous night Does Jack know that Simon was killed? Does he believe in the Beast? “He came – disguised.” “How could we – kill – it?” “And then if he comes we’ll do our dance again.” What new powers are attributed to the Beast? Ralph can’t remember the purpose of the fire Jack, Roger, Maurice steal Piggy’s glasses; they do not take the conch

Ch. 11 “Castle Rock” Ralph and Piggy prepare to confront Jack Why do they try to clean themselves up before going to castle Rock? “They understood only too well the liberation into savagery that the concealing paint brought.” Ralph forgets the purpose of fire and smoke – Piggy must remind him Fight between Ralph and Jack Samneric captured – “See? They do what I want.”

Ch. 11 “Castle Rock” Roger kills Piggy; the conch is shattered Jack – “See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you any more! The conch is gone – ” Roger – “wielding a nameless authority.”

Ch. 12 ”Cry of the Hunters” Ralph becomes the hunted – compare to hunts in Ch. 1, 4, 8 Samneric are captives “Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.” Final hunt through the forest – boys roll boulders Set the island on fire at Jack’s instruction – compare final fire to the one in Ch. 2 “The fools! The fools! The fire must almost be at the fruit trees – what would they eat tomorrow?”

Ch. 12 ”Cry of the Hunters” Smoke attracts naval vessel Rescued by officer “Fun and games.” “What have you been doing? Having a war or something?” What is the irony of the ending of the novel?

Ch. 12 ”Cry of the Hunters” Percival can no longer remember his name, address, telephone number “I should have thought that a pack of British boys . . . would have been able to put up a better show than that – I mean –” Parallels Jack’s comment at the beginning of the book “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart . . . .”

Allegory A story in which the characters and events represent ideals or principles. Consider what each character represents in the novel: Ralph Piggy Jack Simon Roger

Ralph The protagonist Representative of civilization, organization, democracy Fails in his attempt to control the society Last link to adults (along w/ Piggy) Loses memory (can’t remember the purpose of the fire) Lost hope – weeps for the end of innocence at the end

Piggy Intellectual, rational influence (not necessarily practical, but he tends to think before acting) Analytical, critical of the others’ behavior and choices Link to adult thinking and expectations Serves as the conscience of society – suggests actions that should be taken His behavior, personality interfere with his being a leader in the society – he is an outcast His critical comments to the others interfere with their desire to act without conscience, thus the others do not listen to his ideas or tolerate him in general What is symbolic about the fact that Piggy dies and the conch is destroyed at the same time?

Jack Antagonist Develops a dictatorial form of government Is anarchy inevitable with Jack in charge? Begins as dignified and orderly, intimidating, authoritarian Believes in rules – his own Becomes an idol to the other boys Offers food, protection as primary means of controlling the boys Irony in the fact that those who appear to be the most civilized, organized, law-abiding become the most savage

Simon Symbolic of Truth and Knowledge Realist, seeks the truth, acts individually Not influenced by the ideas or fears of the others Refuses to be controlled by fear His attempt to help others and save the society results in his own death His death symbolizes the destruction of truth and knowledge If he had successfully revealed the truth about the parachutist, how might the society have been changed? Is Simon a Christ figure / savior? Explain.

Roger Depicted in chapter 4 as still being controlled by the rules of civilization and his sense of guilt. In chapter 11 he has lost all morality when he kills Piggy. He is no longer controlled by society and is free to act as he pleases without the fear of punishment.

Themes Primary Theme: The defects of society lie in the defects of human nature The shape of a society must depend upon the ethical nature of the individual rather than upon a political system

Survival The novel suggests that regardless of man’s apparent state of civilization, man is basically an aggressive animal whose defect lies in his lack of morals or ethics when personal survival is at stake. The survival instinct is amoral Conflict between long-term survival and immediate gratification Is man by nature primitive and anarchic?

Other Themes The acquisition, assertion, and loss of power The need for social order in a deteriorating society The loss of innocence The loss of identity and memory The effects of fear Fear of the unknown Man’s inhumanity to man Man’s potential for self-annihilation Aggression as a means of conquering fear

Symbols How does each change during the course of the novel? The Scar: The destructive force of man; man’s intrusion into a pristine world The Conch: Organization, link to adults, leadership, social order (rules/laws), freedom of speech. What does its destruction symbolize? The Fire: Comfort and security, hope of rescue, survival (cooking), destructive nature of humans (weapon, carelessness), parallels the war being waged by the adults in the world at large.

Symbols How does each change during the course of the novel? The Mask: Hidden/changed identity, freedom to act without consequence The Hunt / Killing of the pigs Chapters 1, 4, 8, 12 The Chant and Ritual Dance

The Beast / Lord of the Flies What is the Beast The Beast / Lord of the Flies What is the Beast? How does it change during the course of the novel? Allusion: Lord of the Flies = Beelzebub the devil of decay, demoralization, destruction, hysteria, panic The evil inherent in the nature of mankind Fear of the Unknown: “snake-thing,” “beastie,” large animals, sea creatures, ghosts, parachutist, the boys themselves Attempt to rationalize fears by creating an entity that can be fought – aggression as a means of conquering fear Fear as a means of control – What does Jack really believe about the beast? The Beast as a religion – sacrifice, ritual dance Simon’s knowledge – the Beast is within man and cannot be escaped Only Simon understands the truth

Questions about the Novel Is the novel a realistic depiction of human behavior? Is the novel optimistic or pessimistic? Why does the island society fail? Evaluate the leadership qualities of Ralph and Jack. Why does the logic of Piggy and Simon fail to influence the other boys?