The lord of the flies presents many themes and ideas. The major ones being good versus evil or civilisation versus barbarism and the evil man is capable of. Golding portrays that there are two major impulses in man. Order and civilisation or anarchy and savagery. He also implies that anarchy is the more dominant impulse. He depicts the battle of good versus evil with the battle between Ralph and Jack. For example, Ralph is losing his authoritative power because he is bent upon creating a society governed by rules and regulations. He wanted the fire to keep burning; he wanted the latrines in a place where it wasn’t intrusive. People got sick of rules because their animal instincts were over powering them. Jack then took advantage of this and said that all he cared about was fun, hunting and feasts. He told the others what they wanted to hear and this ultimately was what allowed him to start his on tribe.
This is relevant to teenagers today because it informs them that there is evil inside of every man, even in them, and when placed under the right situation that evil might just come out.
William Golding incorporates a variety of characters to explore different aspects of the human civilization.
In the novel Ralph is the protagonist. The boy who represents order, civilisation and is the islands first leader. He tries to establish a democratic society. However at the start of the book he felt the need to fit in with the rest of the group; be classified as popular. This is demonstrated when jack called piggy a fatty and jack said “He’s not Fatty, his real name is Piggy!”
Jack is the antagonist of the novel. He represents destruction, violence and anarchy. He is the one who opposes Ralph’s attempt to maintain order, letting his impulses govern him. From the beginning Jack had a nasty streak in him. This is shown when he said “He’s always throwing a faint” when Simon fainted, showing no concern towards Simon.
Piggy is the voice of reason. He is an idealistic boy who likes order and thinks logically. He is Ralph’s right-hand man; an adviser. Piggy was practical and was kind. This is demonstrated when he is talks to the littluns and tries to find out their names.
Simon is a quite and shy boy who keeps to himself. He is a Christ-like figure, one of compassion and knowledge.
As the book progresses however Ralph and piggy have a temporary change of mentality, after being exposed to the euphoria at jacks feast. They get so caught up that they are involved in the death of Simon. after Simons death Ralph and piggy both try and justify Simons death with piggy saying “It was an accident, coming in the dark” this shows that they knew that they had done something wrong. This shows that they acted morally as a habit because if they didn’t they would be punished. Simon on the other hand has acts morally because he respects and values human beings.
William Golding uses language features extensively throughout the novel to enhance the main themes, of evil inside of man and the battle between good and evil.
Symbolism is a major language feature used in the novel, as the book is an allegory. The conch symbolizes democracy and order. It is because of this conch that the rivalry of civilization and anarchy take place on the island. The conch gave everyone a fair turn in voicing their views. The destruction of the conch signifies the demise of civilization.
Strong imagery is also used to emphasise the animal instinct within man. “There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.” This piece of imagery compares the violent actions of the boys to animals and therefore further addresses the primal instinct of man.
The repetition of “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” emphasizes the exhilaration of hunting and killing, and instinct that they were born with.
The quote “his arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pigs after it has been killed” follows Piggy’s murder. This quote shows the true brutality and evil of man. They have just killed piggy and have compared his body to one of a dead pigs, they don’t even view him as a human, let alone value the life of a human.
The contrast presented in the quote, “Which is better – to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?” paints a picture of the central theme of the story. Civilisation or Savagery.
The boys finally get rescued at the end of the book by a navy officer. Linked to the outside world it is ironic because this officer, dressed in white is depicted as an angel, their salvation. However this very soldier is a symbol of the evil man is capable of, by fighting in the war.
This book has demonstrated that humans are flawed. We are capable of great evil. This is still relevant in today’s society because, put under the right situations, you too could carry out unspeakable atrocities.
Mrs. Lawrence
Yr 10 English
Lord of The Flies
By Evita Kerketta