Group 8 - Structure

1. Group 8 - Structure J Ma, S Morreau, S Noh (By the way this is just a skeleton so we might know how to structure our presentation. Feel free to add or change things. Noh

2. Structure of tension • Structure is the planned framework of the book. It is the deliberate way in which the story isorganized by the author to make an impact on the reader. • In The Lord of the Flies, there is a clear structure of tension • Exposition – Ch 1~2 • Rising Action – End of ch2 until the boy is lost • Climax – Shattering of conch/Piggy killed • Resolution – Rescue of the boys

3. Rising Tension

4. Beginning • The novel both starts and ends abruptly • We are immediately immersed in the life of the boys which makes us want to know more • In ch 2, the fire and the casualty of the boy with the birthmark foreshadow the end when the whole island is set on fire • Ralph betrays Piggy’s nickname: first step towards savagery

5. Middle • The tension in the middle of the novel rises slowly and steadily by the use of parallel chapters and events. • An example of repeated events is the chant, “Kill the pig!”, which later changes to “Kill the beast!” The change of the word creates tension and intensifies the meaning • At first, the boys were excited to explore the island but in the middle of the novel, they go looking for the beast, frightened, which creates tension in the reader. • The increase in tension mirrors the increase of the savagery in the boys e.g. “bollocks to the rules” is the turning point and shortly after that, the hunt for the beast increases tension.

6. End • The end of the play is as abrupt as the beginning • The reader is so caught up by the events and the tension that they just want to know what happens to Ralph • The ending has a large impact because the reader has no time to disagree • The story is over and has made its impression on us before we even realize it • The reader is seduced by Golding into automatically accepting the idea before considering the facts, the same flaw he criticizes in the boys, and only after the story is read and felt thoroughly, like Ralph, we can understand the danger of not thinking things through

7. Distribution of motifs • Motifs are distributed and repeated in many chapters • This reinforces the idea of each motif • Fire is mentioned nearly all throughout the novel as this is the most important motif for Ralph and also for Jack but in a different way X = Mentioned O = Minor Mention Only

8. Distribution of motifs • The exception is at ch 1 when they had no intention of being rescued and the island was still a paradise • As the savagery grows, the beast and dancing is more mentioned, nearing the end of the novel X = Mentioned O = Minor Mention Only

9. Fable Structure • A fable is a short fictional story intended to teach a moral lesson like Aesop’s fables • The Lord of the Flies does not resemble a fable structure as it allows much room for speculation, whereas a fable features one-dimensional characters, a simple story line and leaves little room for argument • Instead of talking animals, Golding uses human characters that represent the dominant motifs • As these human characters interact with each other and their environment, so do their motifs

10. Fable Structure • Using characters allows Golding to compare and contrast • Unlike Aesop’s animals, human beings act in ways that frequently conflict with the values they hold, like Ralph • Because Ralph finds himself participating in the same savage behaviour he condemns in the other boys, he presents a realistic picture of a humane person resorting to brutality under unusual circumstances • Other characters also bring ambiguity to the motifs they embody

11. Fable Structure • Piggy, for example, represents the scientific rationalist whose knowledge and intellect far exceed that of the other boys. Yet for all his intelligence, he cannot figure out how to speak so that the others will listen • Golding doesn’t force us to accept this lesson in morality like the ending proverb in fables, but leaves us to make our own decisions about mankind • At the end of Golding’s fable, the reader has not learned that evil is confined to the “Jack” part of society - the pacifist Ralph participated in some of the brutal tribal activities.

12. Fable Structure • Also the reader does not learn that science or even common sense will save humanity from itself - Piggy is ridiculed throughout and then killed. • Mystical revelations or visionary insight into the human condition will not save us - the fate of the saint like Simon. • Instead the reader learns that evil lives in us all, and there is no proverb to remedy that situation: Golding presents to us a complex fable and moral lesson