The Waters of Castle Rock

In the Nobel Prize winning novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the passage from the chapter Beast From Air creates the atmosphere of danger. Before this passage, the twins, Sam and Eric, believe that they have seen the beast by the signal fire and go running to tell the other boys. Upon hearing this news, the boys decide to hunt and kill the beast. After the passage, the boys argue about whether or not they should stay at Castle Rock. Jack assumes that the environment is a suitable place to live, equipped with fresh water and safety, where as Ralph believes that without the fire, rescue will never come if they stay. William Golding is able to develop this atmosphere through his intricate writing.

First of all, Golding uses a variety of carefully selected words to create the atmosphere of danger. In the phrase "the waters went, whispering like the wind", the word "whispering" is an excellent term to describe the attitude of the wind. When someone is whispering, it is often because they have a secret or they have something to hide. This word contributes to the atmosphere since "whispering" is associated with creepiness and concealing a possibly dangerous plan with evil intentions. In addition, the words "boiled" and "roar" in the phrase "the water boiled over the rock with a roar" describes the violent water surrounding the boys. Moreover, the word "sucking" in the phrase "the waters sucking down on the four weedy sides made them seem like cliffs" explains how the waters of Castle Rock are truly powerful. The water "sucking" the plants could be compared to the behaviour of a deadly black hole — engulfing everything that passes. Overall, William Golding's excellent choice of diction enhances the dangerous atmosphere of thi...

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...e by the desire to hunt and kill and how they are putting themselves at risk by venturing into unknown, unsafe land. Hence, the reoccurring them that humans are naturally savage is evident in this passage. With savagery comes danger, reinforcing the feeling that the boys will encounter trouble.

In conclusion, William Golding uses a complex combination of diction, devices, sentence structure and theme to inspire the atmosphere of danger in the passage in the novel Lord of the Flies. Various hints are given throughout the writing that suggest that Castle Rock may not be all that it seems to be: a safe place that could use the tide to protect them from predators. All of these components of the passage work together efficiently to not only create this atmosphere, but to create a deeper understanding of the section, encouraging the reader to read between the lines.