Gift For The Darkness: Chapter Analysis

Chapter Four is important for several reasons; however, the most significant aspect is introducing the beginning of the breakdown of society. Although it is not stated how long the boys have been on the island, it is evident it has been a significant period of time because of the references to their hair being longer. Therefore, it is becoming apparent they are losing their sense of civility and are beginning to abandon the rules which governed them in their previous lives. This is accomplished through the reference to Roger throwing rocks at Henry and the killing of the pig. Although Chapter Four provides evidence the boys are beginning their descent into barbarians, there is also evidence that this descent is not yet complete.

In Chapter

One, The Sound of the Shell Jack displays an inability to kill the piglet that he caught, however, he refused to show his soft emotions to the rest of the boys when he let the piglet wiggle free. Jack showed lack of courage to kill the pig, as he doesn’t have the ruthlessness to kill an animal, he initially appeared to show intentions to kill the pig when he lifted the knife he sees this and paused “only long enough for [him] to understand what an enormity the downward stroke would be” however he let the piglet escape. Jack didn’t have the grit to kill and didn’t have the heart to kill which ultimately lead to him not being able to kill the pig. Jack not being able to kill the pig shows that although they are living on the island Jack has not abandoned the ways back home. Although Jack has maintained his sense of humanity he still regrets his decision and says that he will kill the pig “next time” to the other boys, inferring that he was disappointed with himself and letting down the other boys by not providing him with food from the pig. Although Jack purposely let the pig escape for the outstanding reason of which the aftermath and the “enormity of blood” he stills shows small glimmers the displays barbarism. Throughout their time living on the island it has “baffled [their] common sense” and have changed them completely. In their past life, the boys were behaved school boys with strong belief understandings, which quickly vanished. However, Chapter Four when Jack does kill the pig shows an enormity of barbarism and more so than Chapter One of the novel.
In Chapter Four, Painted Faces and Long Hair Jack displays a loss of his past establish civilization which we created in his former life, however, the boys decent into barbarism is best describes when Jack throws rocks at Henry, but the full descent is not yet complete. A drastic change in the boys indicates are beginning their descent into barbarians is expressed in Chapter Four is that when Roger throws rocks at Henry, this suggests that the boys are seeing a big change, compared to their former lives. The descend to barbicans have been somewhat gradual with events like these that show they are losing their sense of an advanced civilization. Roger didn’t dare to throw too close to Henry because he didn’t want to hurt him. However, Roger has been “conditioned by a civilization,” where it lacks judgment which was a major priority back home. This new life for the boys is the polar opposite of what they knew to be their civilization. When Roger “picked up the stone, aimed, threw it at Henry- threw it to miss” supports that Roger is changing into a different person. Roger isn’t a spiteful person but otherwise learning to adjust to life on the island without rules. This is clearly not acceptable behavior but since Roger went from being a normal kid to a figurehead for the younger boys. Life on the island is transforming the boys and they are all becoming savages in their exchanges with each other. William Golding demonstrates that without a developed society and kids are not able to function without strong and clear leadership, society breaks down. Although the boys are clearly demonstrating that they are entering the decent to barbarity, it is not yet complete. On the other hand, the little boys appreciate structure as they would’ve had in their prior lives. They still “[obey] the summon of the conch … [as it was] a link with the adult world of authority.” This quote clearly describes that although the boys are turning into barbarians, however clearly the descent isn’t complete because they still try to live on the island as if they were living at home. Roger’s actions contribute to the fact showing that life is very different than what the boys knew before. Also, without a structured society, the boys start losing track of right from wrong. It is evident that the boys are struggling with opposing principles in this new environment. Roger throws stones at Henry symbolizes a breakdown in the boy’s society which is certainly evident in Chapter Four. However, even more, apparent when displaying this breakdown in society is when Jack kills the pig.
In Chapter Four of Painted Faces and Long Hair, Jack displays barbarism when he brutality kills the pig; however, the full descent is not yet complete. At the beginning of this Chapter, Jack and the rest of the boys leave the camp area and they go out hunting. Jack returns after have hunted and killed a pig; however, they take great pride in the animal they brutally slaughtered. In Chapter One, Jack couldn’t kill the pig because he didn’t have the ruthlessness to cut into the flesh of a living animal, but at this point in the novel, they killed the pig with very minimal hesitation and little sympathy. Jack is showing signs of barbaric behavior by killing the pig inferring that he is changing and this occurs when Jack openly describes the incident telling Ralph, “we hit the pig – I fell on top.” The hyphen indicates that Jack is beaming with excitement and can’t even finish the sentence. As well, being on top of the animal indicates that he is not afraid to come in contact which is a vast contract from Chapter One when he couldn’t bare the thought of “the downward stroke.” Continuing his conversation with Ralph, Jack exclaims they “had a smashing time” and they didn’t show empathy towards brutally slaughtering this pig. This quotation in British context indicates the boys are finding enjoyment and happiness from this situation. This theme is further developed when “[Jack] cut the pigs throat, [he] said proudly..." indicating a sense of satisfaction showing he is not upset. Jack rushed back to camp to tell everyone the exciting news about him killing the pig. Furthermore, to illustrate this idea “Jack spread his arms wide” and excitedly exclaimed, "you should've seen the blood" illustrating he feels proud about himself and what he has done and this evident because when an individual spreads their arms wide, it suggests they are embarrassing something and in this case, Jack is embracing the blood. When Jack tells the other boys about the situation, he is ecstatic and disappointed that the weren’t there to share his experience. There is a change happening in the society of the boys, and that may start impacting other types of behavior that could increase the barbarian in the group.
In Chapter Eight, Gift for the Darkness, Jack displays barbarism when he brutality when he kills the sow by brutally stabbing it with a spear and lets it runs away to suffer in which he kills later, this truly displays the finish of their descent into barbarism.

As time has passed throughout the novel, all of their positive guidelines they made have been deflected or have changed. The author shows numerous examples to develop the idea that without strong leadership society falls apart and will change people, in this case, the boys are becoming barbaric savages. In Chapter One of the novel, Jack was faced with the situation of killing a pig for food and showed a desire to kill the pig however he couldn’t because of the “unbearable blood” that the aftermath of the situation would impose. He paused “only long enough for [him] to understand what an enormity the downward stroke would be.” In Chapter Four, Jack was faced with this same situation again and killed the pig for the different food source that the boys craved for after living on the island. Jack “cut the pigs throat, [he] said proudly..." indicating a sense of satisfaction showing he is not upset. Jack describes the situation in Chapter Four when he kills the pig, however, “there [were] lashings of blood” that made him “[stutter]” as he completed his thought. The progression of this theme ends in Chapter Eight when Jack kills the pig, out of enjoyment. When Jack brutally kills the sow in was in a situation when the heard of pigs were “sensuously enjoying the shadows” and a “deep maternal bliss” describes the situation as non-threatening, implying that Jack is killing for enjoyment and not for food. This theme is continued to be illustrated when Jack says he “[can] do for some meat.” Jack is a strong example of the reoccurring theme that the author is trying to pursue. The most evident example of the boys descending into barbarism is the gradual brutality that Jack and the other boys display around the

situation of killing the pig describes in Chapters One, Four, and Eight. However, Chapter Eight exemplifies this theme the most and that without a structured society, a once constructed civilization breaks down.
In Chapter Eight, Gift for the Darkness finalizes the descent into barbarism from when the boys first came to the island, in this chapter when Jack brutally kills the sow finalizes their descent into barbarism.
Throughout the novel, the boys are displaying barbaric behavior that is changing them into completely different people. A breakdown of society is not always a physical change that is easy to see, but a gradual one that slowly comes upon everyone and changes them and their reference to what they were before. In this situation, many people would be able to say that the boys are not changing, or that they are just acclimatizing to the island. Though this is true, the boys are still drastically changing, in ways they didn’t intend. In Lord of the Flies, this is when Jack kills a pig without any hesitation or doubt, truly depicting that they are turning into barbarians. This pronounces itself in the chapter physically and behaviorally when Jack brutally kills a pig. This is an action that he struggled to bring his mind to in the past, but the island is changing him in ways he never intended. Jack killed the pig inhumanly and didn’t show any signs of empathy once the pig lay helpless and weak.