Thematic Analysis:
The need for social order is a very common theme throughout The Lord of the Flies. Over the course of the novel the reader witnesses the slow collapse of all forms of order, government, and civilization on the island. The results of this collapse are astounding. Golding writes, “As they watched, a flash of fire appeared at the root of one wisp, and then the smoke thickened. Small flames stirred at the trunk of a tree and crawled away through leaves and brushwood, dividing and increasing… Beneath the capering boys a quarter of a mile square of forest was savage with smoke and flame” (Golding 44). This quote marks the first point when the boy’s Civilization begins to collapse. If the boys had person overlook the building
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of the bonfire this wouldn’t have happened, but, because they didn’t, one of the boys is missing and a large portion of the island is destroyed. This lack of order on the island had a real world consequence in threatening the survival of everyone present. The boys now have even less resources and people, and it will only get worse from here. From this point onward the chaos escalates to extreme heights. Later in the novel during a barbaric dance, the boys get too carried away and kill Simon. In this scene, Golding uses the phrase “tearing of teeth and claws” and diction such as struck bit tore. To the reader, this makes the boys seem like animals. Without order we are nothing but animals, savages driven purely by instinct and the need to survive. Golding reassures this truth through the changes in the boys over the course of the novel. The reader can observe that as society collapses primal instinct takes the human brain just as it did with the boys. The way that we as humans can differentiate ourselves from wild animals is through order. We need social order, without it we are animals. Symbolic Analysis: Lord of the Flies contains various different symbols, one of the most common being the relationship and contrast between Ralph and Jack. The overlying theme in the novel is Order vs. Chaos. The characters of both Ralph and Jack are accurate representations of this. In chapter 5, Ralph holds an assembly with the rest of the boys. In an argument between Jack and Ralph, Golding writes, “You are breaking the rules!” shouted Ralph. “Who cares?” screamed Jack. Ralph summoned his wits. “Because the rules are all we’ve got!” But Jack was shouting against him. “Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt!” (Golding 91). Over the majority of the book Ralph is chief. The reason Golding does this is to further develop the conflict between Ralph and Jack; Ralph is trying to enforce order through laws and rules however he is continuously undermined by Jack. It can be simplified down to the fact that Ralph wants order, civilization, and government but Jack wants free will and chaos. As the novel progresses the conflict between Ralph and Jack (Order and Chaos) is elevated to the extreme. Throughout the novel Golding characterizes Ralph and Jack to symbolize Order and Chaos. With Ralph, Golding not only makes him chief and the lawmaker, but he also gives Ralph strongly differing morals from Jack. At the beginning of the novel when they assemble for the first time to create laws, Ralph encourages the “Bigguns” to look out for and protect the “littluns” just as adults and leaders do with children and common folk in a civilized society. Jack, however, only takes advantage of those smaller and weaker than him. Not only does Golding characterize them with different morals, but he also characterizes them with completely different thought processes. Ralph makes it his goal at the beginning of the novel to get off the island, and he knows how to do so, the signal fire. Jack makes it his goal to hunt. Though food is a necessity on an island with limited resources it is not the only one. Things like water, shelter, hygiene are all important also, but they require a thought process that has depth. The second Jack is put into this scenario, his primal thought process takes over. Near the end of the novel Golding takes the ideas that Ralph and Jack represent and gives them physicality. When going to meet with Jack for the final time, Ralph and his three followers plan on bathing and combing their hair. While this seems like a very unimportant scene at the time, after analysis the reader can see what Golding is doing. He is giving a civilized appearance to Ralph to contrast Jack’s savage appearance. In the end, all of this characterization makes up the central focus of the novel, Order vs. Chaos, Civilization vs. Savagery, Modern vs. Primal. Dialectical Journal #1 Quote: “Maybe,” Simon said hesitantly, “maybe there is a beast.” The assembly cried out savagely and Ralph stood up in amazement. You Simon? You believe in this? … “What I mean is… maybe it’s only us.” (Golding 89) Analysis: Simon makes this comment in the group assembly where the boys talk about the beast.
So far there are several rumors of the beast and this one is the most farfetched by a long shot. Simon is the first character in the novel to recognize that the beast is not a tangible being, instead, it is an idea of sorts, and in turn, this quote by Simon actually is actually foreshadowing one of the major themes of the novel, the fact that there is evil resting in all of us. Simon represents all that is good in man whereas the Beast represents all that is bad in man.
The contrast between Simon and the Beast even contains some Biblical parallels. Simon can be seen as Jesus where the Beast can be seen as the Devil. The meeting between Simon and the Lord of the Flies later in the novel can be seen to parallel the forty days when Jesus fasted in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan. Though there are several gaps in this parallel, the main theme Golding is trying to convey is clear.
After his meeting with the Lord of the Flies, Simon travels to tell the boys and is murdered. From this point on Evil and Savagery are released and run rampant and the majority of the boys on the island. This just confirms the fact that Simon was right, the beast lives in all of
us. Dialectical Journal #2 Quote: “And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of a man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” Analysis: Ironically Ralph weeps not out of joy but out of pure sadness when they are saved, however, one can assume why. Though he has spent little time on the island, he has aged a lifetime. Ralph has seen the Beast in its true form and he, just like Simon did, now understands what it is. He knows that it will follow him home. He knows that the Beast lives in everyone, even in those in the real world. He knows he will never be the same. Golding writes this as a way to tie all of the themes and lessons of the book back to the real world. Though the Beast is a fictional character created by Golding, the idea of it is real. Like Ralph, the readers should be scared. We are all vulnerable to the Beast, but like the boys on the island, we have a choice. As a civilized people we must recognize what sets us apart from the rest of the Animal Kingdom, and we must never forget it, even in the eyes of the Lord of the Flies. Dialectical Journal #3 Quote: “The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (Golding 153) Analysis: This scene marks a major turning point in the novel. Simon symbolizes all thing good in human nature and his death marks the ending of order, civilization, and worst of all, goodness, on the island. This scene also confirms everything the Lord of the Flies had said in their earlier conversation. It was right about everything. Through killing Simon off, Golding allows the island to be overrun with savagery and terror. Simon was one who looked after the littluns. Simon was the one who assisted Ralph with the things Piggy couldn’t. He didn’t symbolize social order or civilization, but without him there can be none. With evil and savagery running rampant, Golding can properly demonstrate the themes he has been building up the entire novel. Overall this scene is a rude awakening for both Ralph and his followers as well as the reader. It shows that the best of us can be absorbed by underlying human desire. Dialectical Journal #4 Quote: “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” Analysis: In the Lord of the flies the conch symbolizes civilization. When Golding described how the conch was destroyed he doesn't simply state that it broke. Instead, he goes the extra mile and talks about how it “shattered into 1000 tiny white fragments and was removed from existence”. By removing the conch from existence as opposed to simply destroying it, Golding symbolically removes civilization and order from the island. This scene provides a resolution to the overlying theme of the novel, order versus chaos. The total destruction of the conch, marks the victory for chaos and savagery over order and civilization.
This quote expands your comprehension of the beast not being an actual person nor animal but instead as the representation I explained of the beast being the boys themselves. Golding clearly Portrays that through Simon in this quote.
In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the concept of good fighting evil is clearly shown to be a big picture. In many cases, Jesus Christ represents good and bliss in the universe, while the devil represents evil. In this novel the reader sees the when good fights evil, the evil is a good turned evil. For example, before the devil became evil, he was an angel. He was good turned evil and is now fighting good. Simon represents the good and bliss, he is the Christ figure on the island while evil and savagery is shown in the other boys on the island. Both Simon and Christ share common qualities, actions, and deaths. Simon shows this throughout the novel, from the beginning until the time of his death.
Society The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is about a group of boys that were in a plane crash in the 1940’s during a nuclear War. The plane is shot down and lands on a tropical island. Some boys try to function as a whole group, but see obstacles as time goes on. The novel is about civilization and social order.
The point that Golding was trying to make was that evil is inside all of us. He used this novel to express to the readers his thoughts on the matter, which was that to defeat the evil inside yourself, you have to admit that it is there. Simon managed to face the beast inside him. But unfortunately, since the other boys still believed that the beast was a living, breathing creature, it resulted in the death of Simon.
As Simon was trying to tell the boys that the beast did not exist, his death symbolises that mankind can’t face the truth about their inner desires. Part of Golding’s intent was to demonstrate that the evil is not recognised in specific populations or situations. On the island, the beast is manifest in the deadly tribal dances, war paint and manhunt; in the outside world, the same lust for power and control plays out as a nuclear war. Throughout ‘The Lord of the Flies’ Golding has managed to show that evil is present in everyone.
Jack interrupts him but settles down because Ralph still has possession of the conch. Lastly, Ralph talks about how things have been breaking down between the group on the island and hopes that they can fix everything to be happy again. The “beast” is brought up again with when Phil one of the little kids saying he saw it moving in the dark after waking up from his nightmare. Of course, the other boys say it is a dream but Simon admits he was out in the night. Percival also mentions that the beast “comes out of the sea”. After the boys’ brief discussion of what the beast could be, they ask Simon for his opinion. Simon is the only one to be aware that the beast may be “only us” or themselves as he is unable to express “mankind’s essential illness” in
At the beginning of Lord of the Flies, the boys create a democratic government. As the story progresses, the initial democracy on the island is ignored, and a dictatorship rises in its place. This dictatorship fails to keep the boys in order. The author, William Golding, shows that without the institution of a strong government and set of rules people will become impulsive and seek instant gratification. In the absence of order, people tend not to become disciplined of their own accord, but rather dissolve into destructive chaos.
On contrary from all the other boys on the island Simon, a Christ like figure in the novel, did not fear the ‘beastie’ or the unknown. “Maybe there is a beast....maybe it's only us” Simon explained. (p. 97) The fear of the unknown in the novel contributes to the boys’ terror of the beast, the beast is an imaginary figure which lays in all of the boys’ minds and haunts them. Golding uses the beast as a symbol of the evil that exists in every creature. "You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are the way they are?" The sow head announced to Simon to be the “lord of the flies”. The “lord of the flies” is a figure of the devil, and brings out all the evil and fear in people. It wants you to fear it, but if you don’t believe in the “lord of the flies” nothing can happen to you. Therefore Simon didn’t fall into the trap, but the beast killed him, meaning the other boys on the island did. Simon discovered that the beast is in fact just a dead parachute man before he died and ran down to tell the boys about his finding. When Sim...
In many classic novels, authors use biblical allusions to highlight a certain character or situation. By using biblical allusions, authors can help the reader better understand what it is that they want to convey through their literary work. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Golding utilizes symbolism of places and characters to allude to the Bible. Out of the many references, four significant biblical allusions – title of the novel, Simon, beast, and the island itself – emphasize Golding’s theme inherent sin and evil in mankind.
Throughout the story, the fear the boys have of the beast becomes incredibly strong. This ends up driving the boys apart, as seen when Jack organizes a feast for the boys to try to get people to join his tribe, separate from Ralph: “‘I gave you food,’ said Jack, ‘and my hunters will protect you from the beast. Who will join my tribe?’”(172). Everyone is afraid of the beast at this point, and Jack uses this fear to urge people to join his group of hunters. The fear of the beast in turn because a driving factor of the group tearing apart, leaving Ralph against angry savages by the end of the book. The beast therefore is a cause of the boy’s opening up to their inner savagery. The reason for this is explained when Jack gives the beast a physical being when he puts the head of one of the pigs he killed, and Simon, in an hallucination, hears it speak: “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!...You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?”(164). The pig’s head, or the Lord of the Flies, is a physical manifestation of the beast in Simon’s hallucination, and it explicitly states it is part of Simon. In other words, the beast is representative of the savagery and evil within humans, not a monster roaming the island. The only fear the boys have had is fear of what is within: their inherent evil. This idea is perpetuated when all the boys go to Jack’s tribe’s feast, and end up doing a pig dance, when an unsuspecting Simon comes stumbling into the area the boys are doing their dance in: “‘Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!’...The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face… At once the crowd surged after it, poured down
the story of a group of boys stranded on a deserted island to examine a multitude of
He comes to terms with this through his mental struggle with his Lord of the Flies, which is interestingly a direct translation of “Beezlebub,” another name for the devil. He sees the evil inside the children, and in his wariness to not overtaken by it, is killed by those who were not wary enough. Simon’s character development is compounded by the revealing of his implied epilepsy, his decidedly noble ability to express opinions through turmoil, and his hallucination and revelation with the Lord of the
People are privileged to live in an advanced stage of development known as civilization. In a civilization, one’s life is bound by rules that are meant to tame its savage natures. A humans possesses better qualities because the laws that we must follow instill order and stability within society. This observation, made by William Golding, dictates itself as one of the most important themes of Lord of the Flies. The novel demonstrates the great need for civilization ion in life because without it, people revert back to animalistic natures.
In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses a variety of symbols to represent ideas, or abstract notions or conceptions about people, places, and things. A symbol, according to the Webster's Dictionary, is an object that stands for something in addition to its literal meaning. In the book, there is a continual breakdown of society and civilization on the island. During this breakdown, Golding uses symbolism to further explain the process. Some of the things he symbolizes in the novel are the island itself, the conch, the boys clothing, and the violence.
William Golding gives warning about human survival throughout his novel Lord of the flies. By putting his characters on an isolated island it makes the characters rely on human nature and basic instincts. By placing them on a isolated island it also makes it apparent how fragile civilization actually is. Ralph wants order and to make fire and shelters because he realizes that