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Literary analysis of the lord of the flies
Analysis of characters in lord of flies
Analysis of lord of the flies
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In ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding, an important theme explored throughout the novel is the loss of individual identity experienced by all of the characters. The individuality of many boys on the island disintegrates throughout the course of the book, and these sorts of drastic changes are seen in three of the major characters from the book. The protagonist, Ralph, his ‘sidekick’ Piggy, and the antagonist, Jack Merridew. The three boys all undergo major identity loss and personality change in different ways. The critical theme of identity loss is explored through the main characters in William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’.
Ralph
The character of Ralph in ‘Lord of the Flies’ loses his personal identity throughout the novel, and this
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identity loss is shown using many different methods. Ralph’s identity loss begins almost immediately after landing on the island, when he and Piggy are talking.
Piggy is concerned with getting rescued, while Ralph just wants to have fun and treat it like an adventurous holiday. Ralph strips off his clothes and begins to swim in the ocean. “He Picked his way to the seaweed edge of the platform and stood looking down into the water. It was clear to the bottom and bright with the efflorescence of tropical weed and coral. A school of tiny, glittering fish flicked hither and thither. Ralph spoke to himself, sounding the bass strings of delight. ‘Wizzoh!” (Golding, 1954 Pg. 7) This shows that he has already begun to lose his sense of wanting to get back to civilisation. As the other boys descend into savagery, and join Jack’s tribe, Ralph appears not to, on the outside. This is just because the savage changes in the other boys are more obvious. Ralph becomes far more of a savage than he was before they landed on the island, but not in the same paint-your-face-and-hunt-pigs way that Jack did. Ralph joined in the dance that caused Simon’s death, something that nobody in their right mind would do as a part of society. This doesn’t even cross the mind of savage Ralph, because he has succumbed to fear. At this point in the novel, we see Ralph flickering …show more content…
in and out of his previous civilised manner. When Piggy, Ralph and Samneric go to confront Jack about the theft of their fire, Ralph completely forgets about being rescued. “‘I said smoke! We’ve got to have smoke.’ There was silence,... at last Piggy spoke kindly. ‘Course we have, ‘cos the smoke’s a signal and we can’t be rescued if we don’t have smoke.’ ‘I knew that!’ shouted Ralph. … ‘I knew all the time. I hadn’t forgotten.’” (Golding, 1954 pg 184) This shows that although Ralph does not become a painted face, savage hunter like the rest of the boys, he has lost his identity in a different way. By losing his common sense and intelligence. Ralph’s loss of individual identity is displayed in many ways throughout William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’. Piggy In ‘Lord of the Flies’ By William Golding, Piggy represents an important loss of identity, as he is often seen as the most rational character in the novel. Piggy begins the novel with less of an identity than many other kids, as we never know his name, only that he was called ‘Piggy’ at school. Ralph decides to call him this and as a result, Piggy’s real name is never revealed. Piggy wears his infamous specs throughout almost the entire novel, and they represent his identity as a whole. The specs allow Piggy to see the world around him, and therefore allow him to come to the logical and helpful conclusions that he does throughout the book. When one lens in his glasses breaks, it represents Piggy losing a significant part of his identity, as a result of Jack. This holds meaning as the actual glasses breaking is a result of Jack, but it is also largely his fault for the major changes in Piggy. Jack uses fear to get what he wants, and Piggy is very afraid of Jack, and his abilities. Toward the end of the novel, Jack steals Piggy’s specs to make more fire after the tribes have split, rendering Piggy almost useless, as he needs to be guided everywhere for lack of sight. Piggy convinces Ralph to lead his small tribe to get the specs back, which is against all logical thought that Piggy would usually display. ”’I’m going to that Jack Merridew an’ tell him. I am.’ ‘You’ll get hurt’ ‘What can he do more than he has? I’ll tell him what’s what.’”(Golding, 1954 pg 182). This difference in thought processes is a result of the major changes Piggy has undergone, and a last desperate scrabble to regain his identity as well as his sight. The state of Piggy’s specs is the way that Golding chose to portray the loss of identity that Piggy undergoes on the island. Jack In William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ the character of Jack Merridew experiences major identity loss though his descent into savagery.
At the beginning of the novel, we are first introduced to Jack not long after Ralph blows the conch to call the first ever assembly. The choir makes their way up the beach wearing their robes and caps, marching orderly and singing, led by Jack Merridew. When he speaks to Ralph, it is made clear that he is very confident in himself, if not arrogant, but still a civilised English schoolboy. Jack undergoes major changes and identity loss in the chapters that follow. From the beginning, it can be seen that Jack does not care for the identity of those he believes inferior to himself. He calls Piggy ‘fatty’, not bothering to ask his name, eventually swapping it to ‘Piggy’ when Ralph tells everybody. Jack’s lack of care for the identity of those around him can be seen again, later in the novel when he has broken away to form his own tribe. Jack does not consider the individuality of his tribe, merely referring to them as his ‘minions’. “See? They do what I want” (Golding, 1954. Pg 191). There is a major difference displayed between Jack when he is civilised and when he is ‘savage’. When hunting or dancing Jack paints his face along with the rest of the participating. “Jack planned his new face. He made one cheek and one eye socket white, then rubbed red over the other half of his face and slashed a bar of black charcoal across from right ear to
left jaw.” (Golding, 1954 pg 63) This creates clear definition between the two identities, dehumanising the masked faces. Once Jack becomes chief, he permanently has a ‘masked’ face. These masks are representative of the boys hiding their previous identities, covering them up with the new, savage ones. By using the masks, Jack loses much of his identity by becoming a ‘painted face’ rather than a schoolboy. Jack undertakes significant identity loss in ‘Lord of the Flies’, which William Golding portrays through his decline into savagery. In ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding, an important theme explored throughout the novel is the loss of individual identity experienced by all of the characters. The individuality of many boys on the island disintegrates throughout the course of the book, and these sorts of drastic changes are seen in three of the major characters from the book. The protagonist, Ralph, his ‘sidekick’ Piggy, and the antagonist, Jack Merridew. The three boys all undergo major identity loss and personality change in different ways. The critical theme of identity loss is explored through the main characters in William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’.
Piggy is upset with Ralph before they leave the island because Ralph thinks it is ok to make their choir boy group into hunters to kill animals. For example in the story in chapter 1 it says “Ralph talked the group into becoming hunters and killing a pig stuck in rope. Another example is when they left to go to walk and look around the lagoon Ralph saw a pig and chased it but stopped himself and said “ next time I will show no mercy.” Piggy didn't want to be a killer nor wanted his friends to
In Chapter 8 Jack says “He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief.” He says this because Jack thinks his point of view is the right one, and it can only be the right one. This is similar to dictatorships in the past when people believe their right and anyone who doesn’t agree is the enemy. Later in the book Jack tries to get more followers by promising them psychological needs. Jack states “We’ve killed a pig and we’ve got meat. You can come and eat with us if you like.” Jack is trying to take away any of Ralph’s remaining supporters, so that Ralph is forced to follow him when all he has left is Piggy, Samneric, and a few clueless littluns. Later in this book Ralph is on his own a few hours after Piggy dies, he is considering joining Jack’s tribe because he will have food and protection. In the forest he thinks about the thought of eating fruit, and then remembering the feast and that maybe they would let him back. After that he realizes that the hunters killed Piggy and Simon, so they would kill him
Throughout the novel when Ralph notices some of the boys have started to turn into savages, he tries to put an end to it as soon as possible. Ralph wants the young boys to remain as close to their old selves as much as they can, rather than transforming into unrecognizable people. Once the boys have gotten somewhat settled in on the island, they forget to watch after the most important job, as seen in Ralph’s eyes, “We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there might be a ship out there” (Golding 42). The majority of the group has turned to having fun rather than getting rescued. Ralph is one of the only people that has common sense and seems to know their correct priorities. We can see that choosing Ralph to be the leader may lead to benefiting them all. In chapter 11, Jack and his group have bombarded Ralph’s group and stolen Piggy’s glasses, so when Piggy asks what they are going to do, Ralph responds with, “Supposing we go, looking like we used to, washed and hair brushed- after all we aren’t savages really and being rescued isn’t a game--” (Golding 170). Ralph ends up handling this given situation like an adult. He can see quite clearly that the thought of salvation and maturity has no meaning to everyone in Jack's’ group. They have been treating their whole situation like it is just a game, but Ralph knows at this point that rescue is
Throughout the novel, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the character Jack finds his true identity through a clay mask of his own making. At the beginning of the novel, Jack is unable to kill a pig for food, however, he later puts on a mask in order to blend in with nature and not drive the pigs away. To the contrary, by putting on this mask Jack gains a newfound confidence that was nonexistent in his own skin. For example when Jack first put on the mask he “looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger” (63). By putting on a mask Jack is able to lose his identity a little bit and act and feel like a whole new person. This idea of taking on a whole new role when putting on a mask can be seen in many modern tv shows and movies.
“‘I got the conch’ Said Piggy indignantly. ’You let me speak!’ ‘ The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain" Said Jack,’So you shut up’” (42). Here, is one of his first acts of antagonism towards his fellow human beings. The declaration he makes, claiming that Piggy has no right to speak out, displays how Jack tries to lower others in order to gain a greater authoritative position for himself. This is evidence for the statement that he uses the leadership he does have with little intentions of bettering the group as a whole.
The novel, Lord of the Flies, is a compelling story displaying the metamorphosis of an individual when faced with external and internal conflicts. Ralph is the first character to be introduced in the book. He is the most likeable as he is charming, athletic, and displays strong leadership qualities. However, as the novel progresses, Ralph loses his sense of civilization and undergoes a change in character discovering the evil man is capable of. Ralph’s metamorphosis is captivating and displays the inevitable loss of innocence.
William Golding’s novel ‘The Lord of The Flies’ tells the story of a group of English boys isolated on a desert island, left to attempt to retain civilisation. In the novel, Golding shows one of the boys, Jack, to change significantly. At the beginning of the book, Jack’s character desires power and although he does not immediately get it, he retains the values of civilized behaviour. However, as the story proceeds, his character becomes more savage, leaving behind the values of society. Jack uses fear of the beast to control the other boys and he changes to become the book’s representation of savagery, violence and domination. He is first taken over with an obsession to hunt, which leads to a change in his physical appearance This change of character is significant as he leads the other boys into savagery, representing Golding’s views of there being a bad and unforgiving nature to every human.
Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding in 1954 about a group of young British boys who have been stranded alone together on an island with no adults. During the novel the diverse group of boys struggle to create structure within a society that they constructed by themselves. Golding uses many unique literary devices including characterization, imagery, symbolism and many more. The three main characters, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack are each representative of the three main literary devices, ethos, logos, and pathos. Beyond the characterization the novel stands out because of Golding’s dramatic use of objective symbolism, throughout the novel he uses symbols like the conch, fire, and Piggy’s glasses to represent how power has evolved and to show how civilized or uncivilized the boys are acting. It is almost inarguable that the entire novel is one big allegory in itself, the way that Golding portrays the development of savagery among the boys is a clear representation of how society was changing during the time the novel was published. Golding is writing during
As the common adage states, “people change”. This maxim, however, does not explain the cause of this change or the reason why people lose their identities. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, loss of identity and the cause of this loss is a common theme throughout the novel. In the book, little boys turn from innocent children to bloodthirsty savages as a result of them being stranded on an island without any adults. This theme, loss of identity, and its cause are not just apparent in Lord of the Flies, but also in many other mediums, including movies, music, books, and news articles. These sources show that identities are not lost when all is well, but only when life becomes a living hell.
Much of history’s most renown literature have real-world connections hidden in them, although they may be taxing uncover. William Golding’s classic, Lord of the Flies, is no exception. In this work of art, Golding uses the three main characters, Piggy, Jack, and Ralph, to symbolize various aspects of human nature through their behaviors, actions, and responses.
At the beginning, clearly Ralph feels that Jack is an ally, a companion; not a rival for leadership, "Ralph found himself alone on a limb with Jack and they grinned at each other ... that strange invisible light of friendship". The chosen leader of the group, Ralph tried to lead the stranded boys into some kind of order. The authority of Jack and the sensibility of Piggy easily sway him. When Ralph first meets Piggy, he sees him as a lower person who should be ridiculed. He starts off by asking for his name and he is told that people used to make fun of
On the dystopian island of Lord of the Flies, authored by William Golding, one can observe the boy's’ descent into madness. When a group of young children were abandoned on an island without adult supervision, chaos rampaged. This loss civility is most clearly demonstrated by Jack and his effect on others. The text illustrates how quickly he succumbed to the savagery, the way his thirst for power and his dire situation brought him to barbarity, and how the boys followed suit, losing all their humanity.
Although there are many interpretations of Golding’s Lord of the Flies, one of the most important is one that involves an examination of Freudian ideas. The main characters personify Sigmund Freud’s theory of the divisions of the human mind; thus, Jack, Ralph, Piggy and Simon are metaphors for the id, ego, and the super-ego of Freudian psychology, respectively. The inclusion of psychological concepts in this literary work distinguish it as a commentary on human nature, beyond labels of “adventure” or “coming of age” novel. Many readers are left in shock upon reading Golding’s masterpiece because of the children’s loss of innocence, but most fail to consider
Ralph and Jack are both powerful and meaningful characters in William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies. Ralph is an excellent leader; responsible, and stands for all that is good. Jack is a destructive hunter, selfish, and represents evil. These two main characters can be compared by the actions they take as leaders, their personalities, and what they symbolize in the story.
In Lord of the Flies, of the boys on the island, Ralph has the most power. He is elected to be the chief and has power over all the boys. He is a very social person, always communicating. Whenever he calls an order, the boys obey and with one blow of the conch shell he is able to gather all the boys for an assembly. But then Ralph started losing power and one of the hunters, Jack, started to rise in position. Most of the boys joined Jack’s “tribe”. Even though Ralph loses his popularity within the group, he still has friends supporting him. A boy named Piggy, and a pair of twins, Sam and Eric, still remain supportive of Ralph and his ideas. At this point, Ralph is not lonely, but things start to change. Jack kidnaps Sam and Eric, and the tribe kills Piggy. At this point Ralph becomes lonely. He has absolutely no one and Jack’s tribe plots to kill him. Golding says in the book, describing Ralph’s circumstances as he tries to go to sleep at night, “Lying there in the darkness he knew he was an outcast”(Golding 191). Ralph loses his social identity. He goes from an identity with almost absolute power to one with friends and supporters, to like Golding says, an outcast. Ralph has to start a new life and identity as a recluse and a social outcast. But what was the reason for the loss of identity? Ralph lost his