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William Golding and Lord of the Flies. Setting ( 背景） Character （人物） Plot （情节） Point of view （视角） Theme （主题） Style （风格） Symbolism （象征）. Let’s continue…. 3. Plot （情节）. Chronological order Boys’ experience on the island: Look for “beast”. Conflict: a beast “appears”;
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Setting (背景） Character （人物） Plot （情节） Point of view （视角） Theme （主题） Style （风格） Symbolism （象征） Let’s continue…
3. Plot（情节） Chronological order Boys’ experience on the island: Look for “beast”
Conflict: a beast “appears”; • Climax: • Ralph knelt in the entrance to the shelter and peered cautiously round him. • “Sam’n Eric. Call them to an assembly. Quietly. Go on.” • --p. 181
Man vs. Man (e.g. Ralph vs. Jack) Man vs. Nature (children vs. nature) Man vs. Society (Ralph vs. others) Man vs. Self (Ralph vs. his self) Conflicts
Third-person omniscient point-of-view 4. Point of view（视角）
a. Golding relies heavily on figures of speech and symbols to undergird his story. 5. Style（风格）
b. Golding’s language is vivid and easy to understand, and the plot moves quickly.
c. Golding sometimes violates a central tenet of good writing: “Show, don’t tell.”
A running theme in Golding’s work is that man is savage at heart, always ultimately reverting back to an evil primitive nature. E.g. Jack in Lord of the Flies 6. Theme （主题）
In Lord of the Flies, the theme isan attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.
“While the ship saves the boys from killing each other, who will save the ship from killing other ships or being killed?” --Lord of the Flies
Other minor themes: • Civilization vs. Savagery • Individualism vs. Community • The Nature of Evil • The Loss of Innocence • The Negative Consequences of War • ……
7. Symbolism (象征） Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. P.193
1. What does the conch stand for? Questions:
Symbolizes law and order of the adult world; Represents the authority the boys are so used to obeying; The Conch Shell
Insight, wisdom, knowledge; Piggy uses his glasses to find solutions to the boys’ problems. (to set a fire) Piggy’s glasses
2. What is the symbolic meaning of “beast”? Questions:
The beast is seen as a real object on the island which frightens the boys. In reality the beast is only their own internal fear. It is located in the soul and mind of the boys, leading them to the natural chaos of a society with no adults. The Beast
The severed sow’s head that Jack impales on a stake in the forest as an offering to the beast; symbolizes the power of evil and the evilness in the boys (and inhumanity); Lord of the Flies
Looking at the novel in the context of biblical parallels, the Lord of the Flies recalls the devil, just as Simon recalls Jesus. • In fact, the name “Lord of the Flies” is a literal translation of the name of the biblical name Beelzebub, a powerful demon in hell sometimes thought to be the devil himself.
Besides, Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel, and many of its characters signify important ideas or themes. P.193
Allegory is a form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance. An allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.
Ralph represents order, leadership, and civilization. Piggy represents the scientific and intellectual aspects of civilization. Jack represents unbridled savagery and the desire for power.
Simon represents natural human goodness. Roger represents brutality and bloodlust at their most extreme.
To the extent that the boys’ society resembles a political state, the littluns might be seen as the common people, while the older boys represent the ruling classes and political leaders.
Consideration & Discussion： 2. Please define freedom with your own words.
