Chapter 4 Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis Essay

One of the most compelling stories of the 1950s that caused much debate, Lord of the Flies still remains an exceptional novel that stimulates discussion. William Golding gave the readers an interesting and exciting narrative that also stuck close to reality. Golding created an absolutely wondrous and idyllic setting and was able to make a horrifying set of events take place there. This is a novel that challenges the preconceptions of youth, innocence, and humanity itself. Lord of the Flies is a captivating tale and a true classic.

Golding includes a myriad of details and imagery in the novel. These details help immerse the reader into the story as if he or she is witnessing the events as they unfold. This can be seen in chapter nine, when

the savages thought Simon was the beast and killed him. Afterwards, they saw his body and “could see how small a beast it was, and already its blood was staining the sand”. Golding also is able to build up suspense using dramatic irony. This is shown in many instances, such as the one previously stated and in chapter twelve. In this chapter, Ralph is told by Sam and Eric that “Roger sharpened a stick at both ends” when he asks what they will do to him. While the reader knows the stick was sharpened like that when the savages beheaded the boar and stuck the head on a stick, Ralph doesn’t. The suspense builds up to the point where Ralph realizes his stick, the one that held the boar, was sharpened on both ends. This sudden realization gave Ralph immense fear and directly led to the ending. Golding doesn’t just use dramatic irony for suspense, but he also uses it to show the different views of the characters. In the final chapter and ending, the naval officer’s view is shown and he saw “a semicircle of little boys, their bodies streaked with colored clay,” and sharp sticks in their hands. The kids’ names

aren’t mentioned because the officer doesn’t know who they are and what they did, but the reader does know. William Golding blends vivid imagery with dramatic irony and changing points of view to create a suspenseful and mysterious story that keeps readers interested.

A plethora of quotes can be found in Lord of the Flies that somewhat reflect on the major themes of the novel. Of these quotes, there are ones that directly express the themes of this story. One of these quotes is at the ending of the novel when the kids are found by a British naval officer. On page 261, the narrator states, “And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” (Golding, Lord of the Flies) Two of the themes of this novel are the forced loss of one’s innocence and the natural greed and wrath of humanity. Ralph cried tears of sorrow instead of joy despite him being safe because he lost his own youth during his time at the island. He saw how his peers turned into bloodthirsty killers in a short period of time. The officer, who rescued them, although he looked civilized, was part of a dangerous war, and war is not civilized. No matter how civilized a person gets, that instinct of greed and wrath stays with them.

A second quote referring to the themes of the novel takes place in chapter four. On page 73, the narrator states, “Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins.” (Golding, Lord of the Flies) This instance was showing Roger’s slow but eventual descent into insanity sand savagery. It refers to the conflict of civilization versus savagery, a significant theme of this novel. This quote reveals that the psychological and ethical barriers civilization puts up can be

torn down in a short amount of time. It only took the children less than a month to turn into complete savages. The innate savagery in human nature can never be abandoned but only suppressed.

Another quote that shows the main themes of the novel can be found in chapter five. On page 100, Ralph says, “Then people started getting frightened.” (Golding, Lord of the Flies) Fear is a major part of this novel, and fear’s influence is one of the themes of the story. Fear is a catalyst in the group’s decline to savagery. “The beast” caused so much fear in the group that most of them turned to uncivilized means in order to survive. They gradually became murderous barbarians and practiced the ideology of “survival of the fittest”. Rick and his savages are good examples of fear’s influence on people.

The fourth quote that illustrates the important themes of the novel is in chapter four.

On page 84, the narrator states, “His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will on it, taken away in life like a long satisfying drink.” (Golding, Lord of the Flies) Jack’s obsession with control over that pig showed his hunger for power and his abuse of it. Power and its abuse is an important theme of the novel and is prevalent in the conflict between Ralph and Jack. Jack’s hunger for power helped turn him insane and intent on killing Ralph. Jack abused his power to have his savages kill Simon and Piggy The lust for power and the abuse of power caused the end of Jack and Ralph’s friendship and the deaths of Simon and Piggy.

Another quote that refers to the significant themes of the novel is found in chapter nine. On page 194, the savages exclaim, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!” (Golding, Lord of the Flies) This was the savages’ final step towards insanity. As they

danced

and saw Simon, who came there to tell them the “beast” was just a dead body, they saw him as the beast. They modified their old chant when they hunted the pig for the beast and began to attack him. They ended up brutally murdering Simon and left his body on the beach. This is a display of the evil that lies within each human, a powerful theme of the novel. Simon essentially represented goodness; Jack and his savages gladly killed their old friend, destroying any good left in them.

Most of the characters in Lord of the Flies represent something more.

Ralph, the chief that’s desperate to get rescued, represents civilization as a whole due to his attempts to imitate it. Jack, the leader of the savages, represents savagery because he has no care for rules and goes to terrible lengths to be in power and survive. Piggy, Ralph’s friend and advisor, represents intelligence or progress due to him being able to think of good ideas and guide the group. His death meant that progress for the group came to an end. Roger, one of Jack’s savages, represents pure evil because of his passion for hurting others, especially the littluns, and desire to behead Ralph. Simon, one of Jack’s choir boys, represents pure good due to him supporting his friends not following Jack and the other choir boys into savagery. His death meant the end of good among the savages. These characters are significant in developing the themes of the

novel.

A multitude of symbols are present in this novel. The characters mentioned in the last paragraph are important symbols. The “beast” is an example of dumbfounded fear because almost everyone fears it even though an actual beast was never on the island. When Simon found “the beast”, which was just a dead body, he found the truth that would have destroyed the group’s fears if he was able to tell them. By then, it was too late and he was killed. The conch shell is a symbol that represents order. When it gets blown, people gather calmly and come to order. Towards the ending, the conch gets shattered, and that shows the end of order and the

beginning of chaos. Piggy’s glasses share a similar representation of intelligence and technological advancement. His glasses are the only thing that can make a fire, and without fire, the group would suffer. The stick sharpened on both ends and “The Lord of the Flies” are similar to Roger in that they share a representation of evil. Roger is the one who sharpens the stick and uses it to put the boar’s head on it; he also plans to use it for Ralph’s head also. “The Lord of the Flies”, the boar’s head on the stick, made Simon go crazy and hear voices. The stick, the head, and Roger ultimately became an unholy trinity of evil. These symbols are vital to expanding the themes and enhancing the story.

The Lord of the Flies is a fascinating novel with a fantastic story that stirs up much debate about society as a whole. This book is filled with suspense, action, twists, and detail that will satisfy any reader. It is clear that a large amount of time was spent making this masterpiece of a novel. The plot and themes are so well-developed that they will be thought of by readers for an incredibly long time. This powerful story is a great classic and one of the best things to come out of the best novels to come out of the twentieth century.