AP Text Review Sheet

Brandilyn Tebo

Title: Lord of the Flies Author: William Golding Year of publication:

Setting and time period: Deserted tropical island; during a war (probably WWII)

Primary characters (name/ relationships/ job/ key traits): Ralph: Protagonist. 12 years old. Attempts to lead the other boys. Civilized, caring and concerned. Disturbed by other’s behaviors. Jack: Antagonist. Older. Leader of the hunters. Completely uncivilized. Power hungry, savage, uncaring. Simon: The only good boy. Cares about the others, retains inherent morality throughout. Cares for the little ones. Connected to nature. Shy. “Piggy”-Consistently badgered for his gross appearance. Intellectual, characterized by his glasses. The inventor. Assistant to Ralph. Rational.

Secondary characters (brief identifications): Roger-Evil. Jack’s assistant. Abuses smaller children. Sam and Eric-Inseparable twins. Assistants to Ralph. Part of the “biguns” but excitable like the “littluns”

Point of view and other notable structural, literary and stylistic techniques: Point of view: Third person, but not omniscient, he does not know everything (important because the book is a microcosm of civilization; cannot hone in on the perspective of one individual without disrupting the image as a whole, yet we never can know everything at one time) Allegory: The novel is allegorical. Each of the main characters in the novel represent an entity of society (as noted above, it is a microcosm). Ralph represents the benevolent dictator, Jack represents the savage, power hungry government, Piggy represents the sci- entific, rational problem solving individuals and Simon represents the good hearted that remain. Symbolism: The most notable literary device in the novel is symbolism. It is used exten- sively to represent the author’s thoughts on society. The conch represents the pointless way in which we allot power to individuals in our society. The conch is revered as an un- questionable symbol of power, but it does nothing to earn that from the boys. The fire on the island represents the boys‘ desire to return back to their homes, but most of them quickly lose interest in the fire, which shows that they are succumbing to their primitive, devilish selves and do not want to return to the structure of society. The pig on the stick (the “lord of the flies”) represents the devil. It says that it is present within all boys and thus they cannot escape it. This means that they all have savage instincts and inherent evil to which they will return if they are not forced away from it by the structure of society. Brandilyn Tebo

Golding uses large, foreign-to-many words to emphasize the greater significance of the novel, yet he uses simplified “littlun” language through much of the novel to remind the reader that of the inherent simplicity behind the chaos.

Major conflicts (in abstract terms, with resolutions): When removed from society, all individuals have a tendency to allow their id (from freud--basic needs, pleasure principle, often associated with the devil) to surface and allow their primitive drives to turn them savage and control their actions. Therefore, we live in a rigidly structured society that prohibits the id’s emergence.

Key scenes (turning points, resolutions, climaxes--inc. page #'s): The boys’ plane crashes on the desert island, the pilot is killed-page 1 The boys light their first fire in attempt to be rescued (they use piggy’s eyeglasses)-page 38 Roger sees that he can’t throw rocks at henry because there is ora around him that it would be taboo to disturb--page 56 Hunters make their first kill--page 34 Children think they see a beast (that beast just turns out to be the beast within them all)-- page 75 The boys offer the head of the beast up on a stick--page 124 Simon encounters the head on a stick (the lord of the flies/the devil)--page 130 Simon is killed--page 137 Piggy is killed--page 190 They are rescued--page 235

Key quotations (annotate: identify speaker, situation, and relevance--inc. page #'s): "[There was] something dark...fumbling along....The creature was a party of boys, march- ing approximately in...two parallel lines...." Chapter 1, pg. 18 The way in which the boys are described in this quote by the narrator gives the imagery of a beastly creature crawling around the island. They are referred to as “dark” and “fumbling” and finally “the creature”. This is the first instance in the book of the boys representing the beast that they attempt to conquer. "Ralph sat on a fallen trunk, his left side to the sun. On his right were most of the choir; on his left the larger boys who had not known each other before...before him small children squatted in the grass." Chapter 2, pg. 30 Here, before the madness, is a description of all of the boys gathering, in a peace- ful, picnic-like style. This is the initial image that will later be contrasted with the boys newfound savagery. "'We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything.'" Chapter 2, pg. 40 Ralph proclaims this statement to the group, demonstrating that the boys are still mindful of the regimes of society and they still retain a sense of belonging at home. The statement “we’re not savages” will be completely debunked soon. "[T]here was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he [Roger] dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life." Chapter 4, pg. 56 Brandilyn Tebo

This quote also represents a time in which some semblance of morality was re- tained. Later in the novel, this “barrier” will be broken, representing the loss of any sense of propriety. "'Maybe there is a beast....maybe it's only us.'" Chapter 5, pg. 80 Simon says this, and it’s the million dollar discovery. By this he means that there is no living creature on the island that has been hidden against which the boys must de- fend themselves. Rather, there is a beast (the psychological “id,” or primitive, savage de- sires) that comes out to trouble the boys and kill some of them. He says this after encoun- tering the “lord of the flies” (the devil) that proclaims that he is in each of the boys. "'I'm chief. We've got to make certain [that there is no beast]....There's no signal showing [on the mountain]. There may be a ship out there.'" Ralph says this to the rest of the boys, dismayed that the signal fire has gone out. The fact that this fire keeps going out shows that the boys are losing interest in returning to their homes--they have adapted to the taboo lifestyle of savage island-living. "Ralph...was fighting to get near....The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering." Chapter 7, pg. 104 Even Ralph, the calm, rational leader, is being sucked in by the desire to do evil. "'Right up her ***!'" Chapter 8, pg.123 The sow is described as a pure, innocent womanly creature before her death. Then, once she is brutally murdered, the boys stick a stick through a part of her body, the action of which represents rape. Figuratively, the boys are raping innocence. They are completely overcome by their id--they have no sense of ego or superego left. "'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?'" Chapter 8, pg. 130 This is the “lord of the flies” speaking to Simon, telling him that he is a part of each of the boys, an indestructible part that is normally kept hidden, but always has the potential to emerge and conquer all the rest.

Theme statements (and "central questions"): Theme: Those who are thought of as “good” are only able to acquire that appearance because they have been shaped by a rigid society in which their “evil” side was not allowed to submerge, but, removed of all of the regimes and values of society, everyone has the same potential for evil. The loss of innocence is natural and inevitable. Questions: How can we maintain a sense of propriety such that our savage instincts are not permitted to emerge? Is it only human to do evil; should we try to squelch these de- sires? Should innocence be preserved; is there a point to this?

Your reactions/ reader responses (note personal reactions to any of the above categories, or any other element of the reading experience): I, being a psychological thinker, was extremely intrigued by this novel. It has always been my view that no individual has the right to a holier-than-thou attitude, because we all have the same potential for evil or good. I think that this novel is indeed a microcosm for society as a whole. We think that the events that take place within “Lord of the Flies” are absurd (how could they allow each other to die? How could they rape a pig? How could they lose sight of their desire to go home?) yet I am certain that if any real life Brandilyn Tebo group of people were placed on an island, the same would occur. In fact, the same has occurred in our own society: we brutally murder animals and each other, and allow our fellow man to die in order for us to live. It’s not crazy, it’s who we are and this novel makes me think that there isn’t much we can do about it besides cover it up.

This text would be good for the following type(s) of prompt: Examples of past prompts that would be perfect for this novel:

Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important, and write an essay in which you show how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another.

The significance of a title such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to dis- cover. However, in other works (for example, Measure for Measure) the full significance of the title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually. Choose two works and show how the significance of their respective titles is developed through the authors' use of de- vices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view.

Although literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary characterizations, many authors have employed the stereotyped character successfully. Select one work of acknowledged literary merit and in a well-written essay, show how the conventional or stereotyped character or characters function to achieve the author's purpose.

Basically, this novel would be excellent for any type of prompt that asks to analyze symbolism or theme, because it is so clear cut and there are so many memorable scenes to pull.