Lord of the Flies Research a Bit of Lord of the Flies Research…
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Lord of the Flies Research A Bit of Lord of the Flies Research… To teach a book like Lord of the Flies is never an easy thing to do. Obviously, I want you to “like” reading the book. From the perspective of “technique,” this book, like Of Mice and Men, is incredibly well written, and an entire semester could be spent just analyzing the rhetorical techniques Golding uses to tell his story; however, that only brushes the surface of how and why and what Golding attempts to achieve. The book is amazing in how it incorporates “secondary meaning” into the unfolding of the plot. So below, is some “research” I did to help myself find the deeper meaning in the “themes” and “allusions” Golding weaves into Lord of the Flies. Notice, too, that I cited my sources as footnotes. Good writers borrow and great writers steal—but good and dutiful researchers “always” cite their sources and give credit where credit is due. Read this thoroughly. I think it will be help you more fully appreciate the opportunity you have right now—not to simply read, but to explore, reflect and engage Lord of the Flies in a deep and enduring way. 1Major Themes within Lord of the Flies Innocence Lost The two most common themes within Lord of the Flies are the battle between civilization and savagery and the loss of innocence. These common themes within Lord of the Flies are developed through the breakup of the tribe and the progression of the hunts: 1. In chapter 1, Simon, Jack, and Ralph find a piglet in the creepers. Jack fears killing it and claims he “was just waiting for a moment to decide were to stab him” (31). The civilized boys cannot remove civilized inhibitions so readily. 1 https://www.brighthubeducation.com/homework-help-literature/35856-important-themes-in- lord-of-the-flies/ John Fitzsimmons Lord of the Flies Research 2. In chapter 3, Jack tracks a pig through the forest, but it escapes. Afterwards “Jack stood there, streaming with sweat, streaked with brown earth, stained by all the vicissitudes of a day’s hunt” (49). Despite Jack’s failure, he has obviously learned hunting skills. More importantly, he yearns to kill a pig, not only for the food, but for the knowledge of taking a life and spilling its blood. In a short amount of time, Jack has shed much of civilization’s rules. 3. In chapter 4, Jack and his hunters kill their first pig. The hunters chant. The scene immediately before the hunt shows Jack crossing over from civilized to savage by making a mask, “a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, (liberating him) from shame and self consciousness” (64). 4. In chapter 8, the hunters brutally slaughter a sow, place its head on a sharpened stick, and leave it as a sacrifice for the beast. 5. In chapter 9, the hunters make a circle and chant. This chant brought about “another desire, thick, urgent, blind. (152). The group chants “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (152). Simon appears out of the forest and the mob of pretend hunters kill him. The savage boys can only be satisfied by blood, even human blood. 6. In chapter 12, Ralph becomes the hunter’s prey as Ralph sharpens a stick at both ends. The hunters intend to sacrifice Ralph to the beast. Most psychologists would agree that once you begin sacrificing human heads to imaginary beasts, you’ve probably crossed over the line of savagery. Governmental Breakdown The breakup of civilization and the loss of innocence can be traced through the breakdown of the island government. 1. A fire burns out of control, a metaphor for the boys who are out of control. Foreshadowing what is to come we read that “Piggy glanced nervously into hell and cradled the conch” (44). 2. A ship passes, but does not stop. The hunters let the fire go out. 3. Jack and his hunters paint their faces, separating them from civilization. John Fitzsimmons Lord of the Flies Research 4. Piggy’s glasses, a symbol of wisdom, are broken, leaving Piggy, the voice of reason “islanded in a meaningless color” (73). 5. The older boys begin to believe in the beast. 6. The mother sow is murdered, with a “spear right up her a–” (136). 7. Simon is killed. 8. Jack, Maurice, and Roger steal Piggy’s glasses in a late night raid. Ralph calls Jack a “beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!” (179). 9. Piggy is killed as “the rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments.” (181). With one boulder roll the voice of reason and the symbol of civilization are destroyed. 10. Finally, Jack’s group of hunters make Ralph, their elected leader, prey as Roger sharpens a stick at both ends. 2The Top 10 Symbols in Lord of the Flies 1) The Conch - Ralph and Piggy find the conch shortly after landing on the island. It soon becomes the symbol of authority and law and order. The conch is used to call assemblies and only the person holding the conch could speak at the meetings. Ralph and especially Piggy respected the symbol of the conch until it is smashed to bits by Jack. Jack's inclination to disregard the rules governing the conch is symbolic of his disdain for law, order, and civilization. The destruction of the conch symbolizes the destruction of what little civilization the boys possessed. 2) Piggy's Glasses - The glasses symbolized the ability to see and understand things clearly. Piggy is the only boy, besides Jack, who really sees how things should be done. The cracking of the first lens symbolizes the boys losing sight of what they need to do. The glasses are also important in so much as they are needed to start the fire. 2 http://staff.camas.wednet.edu/blogs/chslovre/files/2012/12/Flies-symbols-allusions.pdf John Fitzsimmons Lord of the Flies Research 3) The Signal Fire - The signal fi re symbolizes the boys’ connection to civilization. The fi re, initially, is important in the novel. As the boys grow more savage, the fi re becomes less important to them. Jack and the hunters let the fi re go out in order to hunt. Ralph's effort to keep the fi re going are consistent but unsuccessful, in the same way his efforts to restore order are unsuccessful. Golding uses the signal fi re to also symbolize hope, something which Jack destroys as the novel progresses. At times the signal fi re rages out of control, symbolic of the boys themselves. 4) The Beast - The beast represents the inner savagery of the boys and all mankind. The boys personify it by calling it a giant snake and mistaking a dead parachutist for it. Simon is the only boy who understands that they are the beast. 5) The Lord of the Flies - Jack impales a pig's head on a wooden stake in sacrifi ce to the beast. The Lord of the Flies symbolizes the devil and is a literal translation from Hebrew meaning Beelzebub. 6) The Dead Parachutist - Piggy looks for a sign from the adult world. He gets it the very same night. Miles above the island, a plane is shot down. A dead man fl oats onto the island and becomes lodged in rocks and trees. The dead parachutist symbolizes the adult world and its inability to maintain peace. Piggy's desire to learn civilized behavior from adults goes unfulfi lled. The dead man also becomes the beast. 7) The Plane Crash - The plane crash symbolizes the breakdown of modern society. The boys leave England to get away from the war and are shot down by the enemy. 8) The Scar - The scar left by the plane crash, symbolizes the damaging encroachment of humans in paradise. The vivid imagery that Golding uses to describe how the scar smashes into the jungle illustrates the affect humans have on the earth and how devastating man can be. 9) The Island - The island symbolizes the Garden of Eden before the arrival of the boys. After the boys arrive it becomes corrupted and destroyed. 10) The Boys - The boys also stand as symbols: Simon represents goodness; Ralph and Piggy symbolize law and order; Jack and Roger stand for evil; The big kids represent the ruling classes; and the littluns symbolize common folk. John Fitzsimmons Lord of the Flies Research Biblical Allusions in Lord of the Flies An allusion is a reference to a famous person, historical or religious figure, an historical event, or another literary work. Allusions allow an author to inject deep meaning with few words. Allusions at times are used ironically by creating a contrast between the allusion and the situation. The Beast Understanding the following Lord of the Flies allusions to the beast is eye opening. The beast is spoken of in Revelations chapter 13 of the New Testament: 1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea (Revelations 13:1) coincides with the title of chapter 5, Beast from Water 2. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast (Revelations 13:3); the beast in chapter 6 is actually a dead parachutist who the boys bring back to life fi guratively through fear. The entire island (the boys' world) is awed and fearful of the mysterious creature.