Lord of the Flies

1. Lord of the Flies English 10-1/10A-1

2. William Golding... • Golding’s first and most successful novel, Lord of the Flies, was published in England in 1954 but its popularity was not established until five years later when it appeared in paperback.

3. William Golding... • This book was followed by a series of other novels, each concerned in one way or another with the theme of man’s capacity for “evil” The Inheritors, Free Fall and The Brass Butterfly.

4. Themes • Evil (the beast) is within man himself. • Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with age but is related to a person's understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all. Painful though it may be, this loss of innocence by coming to terms with reality is necessary if humanity is to survive.

5. Themes • The most obvious of the themes is man's need for civilization. Contrary to the belief that man is innocent and society evil, the story shows that laws and rules, policemen and schools are necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in line. When these institutions and concepts slip away or are ignored, human beings revert to a more primitive part of their nature.

6. Themes • Fear of the unknown on the island revolves around the boys' terror of the beast. The recognition that no real beast exists, that there is only the power of fear, is one of the deepest meanings of the story.

7. A not too brief synopsis... • British schoolboys are stranded on an uninhabited island during a nuclear war. Ralph meets Piggy, a fat, bespectacled boy, and together they find a conch shell which Ralph uses as a trumpet.

8. A not too brief synopsis... • In response to the sound, other boys appear, some very small, none older than twelve, and finally a group dressed in choir robes and led by Jack Merridew.

9. A not too brief synopsis... • Realizing that there are not adults, the boys attempt to organize their own society. Ralph is elected chief and Jack is given control of the choir who become his “hunters.”

10. A not too brief synopsis... • The division of labor is agreed upon: Jack and his group will become hunters; Ralph, aided by Simon, Piggy and the twins Samneric, will build huts and carry water.

11. A not too brief synopsis... • Ralph and Piggy criticize Jack who responds by breaking Piggy’s glasses with a blow, then boasts about the pig his hunters have slain.

12. A not too brief synopsis... • As the novel progress, fear becomes a part of island life for the boys. • One of the fears is that there is an unexplained “beast” on the island.

13. A not too brief synopsis... • Laced with such fears, the power struggle between the two boys grows. • The boys become more and more fascinated with their savage side.

14. A not too brief synopsis... • By the end of the novel, the boys are offering sacrifices to the beast, Piggy and Simon are killed, and Ralph is being hunted by the group he once lead.

15. They’re the real thing • Golding establishes a sense of reality by his descriptions of the boys and by the language of their conversations with each other. • The boys have ordinary physical attributes and mannerisms of young boys. The group includes a variety of physical types: short, tall, dark, light, freckled, tow-headed, etc.

16. ...They’re the real thing • To stress the universality of their later actions, Golding takes great pains to present the boys as normal. The ‘littluns” suck their thumbs, eat sloppily, etc., while the older ones roll about in the sand, stand on their heads, and swim.

17. ...They’re the real thing • Even their unkindness to Piggy is credible, for children often display a “natural cruelty to anyone they consider different or inferior”.

18. Life among the savages • Nor does their metamorphosis from ordinary schoolboys into bloodthirsty savages seem unlikely, for Golding has taken the descent one step at a time.

19. Symbolism played an important part in the development of this story.

20. Conch shell law and order. The shell looses authority as anarchy grows. The conch fades in color and power. It’s power is broken with the “fall of piggy.” Lord of the Flies Refers to the head of the pig which Jack has left as an offering to the “beast” and is a literal translation of “Beelzebub,” prince of demons. Symbolizes man’s capacity for evil Objects as symbols

21. Symbolism, as a narrative technique, is used to give a significance to certain people or objects, which represent some other figure.

22. Huts represent the desire to preserve civilization; when Jack gains power they move into caves like the animals they have become. Fire its use divides civilization from savagery. Ralph uses it for hope; Jack for cooking. It is Jack’s group that allows the fire (hope) to go out Objects as symbols

23. Piggy’s glasses They signify man’s ability to perceive, to think. That thought can be misused for destructive purpose is shown when Piggy’s glasses are used to smoke Ralph out. Fire an archetypal symbol of evil, “the powers of darkness.” The boys would have recognized the chutist in the daylight, as would they have Simon. The beast is more real at night Objects as symbols

24. Face paint The paint helps the boys hide from their own consciences, turning them into anonymous savages who are freed from the restraints of “civilized” behavior. Stick sharpened on both ends Represents how much evil has taken the boys over. First it was used to offer the beast the pig sacrifice; next to offer it Ralph’s. Objects as symbols

25. Overview of the island

26. The Island • A microcosm representing the world.

27. The “Scar” • Man’s destruction • Destructive forces

28. ...Characters as symbols • We all have good, evil, common sense, intelligence, and a sense of nature within us.

29. Ralph=common sense and responsibility Jack=immediate gratification and irresponsible authority Piggy=ineffective intellectualism Simon=mystic, Religious side of man. Understands good and evil but no communication. Samneric=incapable of acting independently. They represent loss of identity through fear of the beast. Characters as symbols

30. Dead parachutist= the “sign,” evil developing on the island Each of the characters represents a part of man. Characters as symbols

31. Piggy (and his glasses) • Clear-sightedness, intelligence. Their state represents the status of social order.

32. Simon • Pure goodness • “Christ Figure” • Innocence

33. Roger • Evil • Satan • Actions without conscience • Barbarism

34. Jack • Savagery • Anarchy • Power without limits

35. Jack Jack, chief representative of evil in the novel, is too inhibited by society’s teachings to slay the piglet the first day. He later progresses to exhilaration in his first kill.

36. …Jack • Eventually he comes to kill for the sheer thrill of slaughter rather than the need for meat, and this becomes the motive for hunting.

37. Ralph • Ralph is a tall, blond twelve year old, who establishes himself as the leader of the boys when he blows the conch shell to call the first assembly. Throughout the story, he struggles to maintain order and is forced to compete with Jack for respect.

38. Ralph, The Conch • Democracy, Order • Hope, Civilization

39. Dynamic character • A dynamic character is one who undergoes a change during the story because he learns a truth or comes to a realization about himself. • Ralph is such a character.

40. A. His initial character 1. Enjoys the absence of adults on the island 2. Popular 3. Indifferent to Piggy 4. Enjoys the island 5. Likes Jack 6. Trusts others 7. Refuses to accept the beast.

41. B. What changes him 1. Decay of order 2. Insistence on rules 3. Need for intelligence 4. Brutal behavior revealed 5. Savagery in Jack 6. Betrayed by all 7. Savagery in himself and other

42. C. Character change 1. Wishes adults were present on the island 2. An outcast 3. Appreciates and misses Piggy 4. Hates the island 5. Fears Jack 6. Trusts no one 7. Knows the beast is within

43. In Conclusion • All of the characters undergo some change in the novel, even Piggy and Ralph.

44. Keeping it real! • Are the children becoming something new or are they reverting to their true natures?

45. Why do the children recognize Ralph as the leader when they are finally rescued, even though they had been trying to kill him only moments before?

46. What masks do you wear?

47. And finally…. Was Golding right? • If we are civilized, how then does war exist?

48. Essay Directions: Choose one of the following topics and type your essay on Microsoft Word. Be sure to save it to the 4th period file under “Essay – Lord of the Flies”. DO NOT PRINT!!

49. Be specific, and support your statements with examples from the text. Use MLA (parenthetical)in-text references. • Is man truly civilized or are we just wearing masks and hiding our true natures?

50. Be specific, and support your statements with examples from the text. Use MLA (parenthetical)in-text references. • On the surface, Lord of the Flies is just a story about some boys stranded on an island. Explain the deeper meaning of the book.