Piggy then stops, ‘ an expression of pain and inward concentration altered the pale contours on his face’, ‘’Them fruit I expect’ ‘I’ll be out again in just a minute’, these few lines give impression a perhaps a not so good side to the island as the fruit that Piggy has eaten has given him diarrhoea. When they reach the water Golding describes the palm trees as, ‘ green feathers a hundred feet up in the air’ the ‘Shimmering water’ and ‘Blues of all shades and shadowy green and purple’ but ‘ with’ the Darkness of the Forest’ behind, contrasting the good of the water, palm trees and bight colours but with darkness close by, which is associated with fears and Nightmares.
Another example of effective use of language from Golding is ‘the efflorescence of tropical weed and coral’ ‘Glittering fish flicked hither and thither’ giving the impression of a paradise type place. On the dark side he then writes ‘Beyond the platform was more enchantment’ which could mean that what Ralph and Piggy are seeing could be deceiving them in some way? ‘The storm that had accompanied them on their arrival’ helps us find out more about how the pair arrived on the island and it is obvious that they arrived in some sort of storm which could have been the cause of a crash or malfunction of the plane.
The boys find a conch and Golding describes it in great detail ‘the shell was deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink. Between the point, worn away into a little hole, and the pink lips of the mouth, lay 18 inches of shell with a slight spiral twist and covered with a delicate, embossed pattern’. The length and detail of this description could mean that the conch might be a very important object or play a significant role in the story line. When the conch is blown and children appear from the undergrowth, one of the first things to notice is that some of them have lowered trousers from the fruit they have eaten which has also given them diarrhoea. From the way Piggy speaks it is clear that he comes from a cockney background and the reference to the Home Counties implies that he comes from London or the surrounding area and is working class. ‘What’s yer name’ and ‘We was attacked!’ Ralph has no signs of incorrect grammar, which suggests that he is from a different background than piggy.
The way in which Jack Merridew is introduced is quite significant as he is described a ‘creature’ and is wearing all black, a sign of evil which could mean Jack is a bad omen and may play a vital role in the story. When Jack fails to kill a pig on the island he makes excuses and seems embarrassed and annoyed. The fact that they were trying to kill a wild pig anyway suggests that there may be scarce food supplies and the only food that has been mentioned so far is the fruit, which is giving anyone who eats it diarrhoea. Ralph mentions that he believes the island is uninhabited by man and the land they are on is surrounded by water. This means they are all alone and have to fend for themselves.
From studying the ways in which William Golding’s establishes the setting in chapter 1 of The Lord of the Flies. It is clear to see that the island that the boys have inhabited is made out to be a childhood dream and a paradise, when the island may be hiding dark secrets, which the boys are yet to discover.
