Lord of the Flies
"Lord of the Flies is just a children's adventure story." Argue against this statement. It may look as if Lord of the Flies is just a children's adventure story. However, there is also a truth concealed deep inside the novel where Golding uses symbolism effectively so that readers are able to become conscious of certain issues. The issues it concerns are: society, human nature, good vs. evil, ecological balance and cooperation. Lord of the Flies reveals a multifaceted story beneath an effortless storyline. In the novel, Golding takes the time to explicate to readers that man and women are who they are because of their childhood, that if they were not brought up well they will grow to be uncivilized. Take this for example Piggy continuously talks about his auntie saying, 'my auntie-'this and 'my auntie-'that, remembering everything that his auntie told him, what was right and what was wrong and understands that,' grown-ups know things.' This shows that without care and guidance that children receive from parents, guardians, or anyone at all, children will regress back to the roots of savagery of their fellow ancestors. Nonetheless, if you look in-depth into the story there is more than meets the eye. Thus claiming that Lord of the Flies is just a children's adventure story is incorrect, the story exposes a more intricate plot. At the beginning, the boys were ordered and
Lord of the Flies Research Paper
Symbolism in Lord of the Flies In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, symbolism plays an important role! The story unfolds as we find the boys on an uncharted island during the next world war. As order becomes diminished, the boys become savage and terror reigns supreme. Golding uses symbolism to compare the boys' adventure to the happenings of the real world back home during the war. William Golding was a very popular and serious author. He "is considered one of the most distinguished twentieth century novelists" (Marsh 1). Golding has based his story off the classic novel The Coral Island, by R.M. Ballantine, and creates a modern myth that unfolds with swift and brutal inevitability. "In addition...Lord of the Flies shows a grasp of telling detail that bespeaks the author's experience with real-life situations" (Marsh 1). Golding uses the beast as a major symbol in the novel. "The beast quickly becomes a sign of the children's unrest, of their superstitious fear which becomes so overwhelming that it eventually takes control of their situation." (Michel-Michot 1) The beast also is symbolized as "the source of evil in human life." (Hynes 6) The symbolic role that the conch plays is an important in the novel. "The conch...is...just a symbol of order." (Cox 1) The conch also plays a larger role in the novel, in that its "symbolic meaning, that is the end of the beauty of
Lord Of The Flies - Ralph Monologue
Lord Of The Flies Ralph Monologue (A boy stood adjacent to a fire on an island, looking resentful) Should never have let this happen. Should never have let this happen. (Ralph shaking his head) Jack's an idiot, bloody idiot. Divide and rule. What does he think he's playing at? Does nobody want to go home? I miss my family. Don't they miss theirs? I just can't understand (sighs). What's wrong with him? It's his fault we're still here on this stupid island. He should have watched the fire like we said, not disappear off into the jungle. Showing off, "I cut the pig's throat." So what. Who cares! We can all do that if we want to, anyone can be a hunter. It's so pointless, he did it on purpose we were nearly there. He did it on purpose, I know he did. (Ralph quietens down momentarily appearing thoughtful) If only Jack had done as he was told we would never missed that ship. Stupid face painting, do that at six not at his bloody age. (Kicks the ground in exasperation, throws his hands around his head grabbing his hair) When we worked as a team, couldn't Jack see the benefits of that. He must have had rules at home. If only they'd obey the rules like they used to. (Reaches for the conch) The conch, obey the conch. That's what we had agreed, obey the conch! (Shaking his head) Piggy should have some ideas but he's lazy and weak. Jack scares him. Jack the bully. Jack
What is the importance of Simon in Lord of the Flies
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF SIMON IN LORD OF THE FLIES The character of Simon is featured heavily in the novel, but his personality is quite a mystery to the reader. This essay aims to explore and explain the importance and significance of Simon in the novel, and various viewpoints and connections with him and other characters. Firstly Simon's importance will be considered in relation to the plot of Lord of the Flies. Generally Simon is on the outskirts of the goings on in the novel, such as meetings or when the three boys climb the mountain to find the beast, but occasionally he speaks out, to the sound of much ridicule from the rest of the children. One such occurrence is on page 159 where, after much prompting he manages to say: ' "I think we ought to climb the mountain" ' then a few lines later he whispers: ' "What else is there to do?" '. These apparently irrational ideas are in fact those of a much more intelligent mind and in truth are not as unusual as the boys imply, but on the island he is generally regarded as weird. Up until his death, Simon is often ignored and left to himself in the novel, with only Ralph and Piggy really taking any notice, such as on page 64 only the Ralph and Simon are working on the shelters when Jack appears, and Simon suddenly enters the conversation: ' "They're hopeless. The older ones aren't much better. D'you see? All day I've
Why is setting significant in Lord of the Flies?
Why is setting significant in Lord of the Flies? In Lord of the Flies, the setting has an important influence on the story and the actions of the characters in it. As it is set on a deserted Island, isolated away from society and civilisation, it allows a microcosm to be born. A plane crash causes the schoolboys to land on the Island and force them to create civilisation between themselves. The fact that the boys are away from rules and reason give them lease to misbehave and do as they wish, which couldn't be done if they were lost somewhere else, highlighting the importance of the Island's isolation. The idea of being without "grown-ups" seems daunting to Piggy, but for the rest of the group it is more like an adventure. Piggy sometimes seems to be the only one with a mature mindset, and he realises that they could be stuck on the Island forever, while the little un's, choir boys and the rest don't think about the long term. The Island is described as quite like a luxury holiday, "palm terrace" and "white surf flinked on a coral reef", which also shows how the boys only think of their time on the island to be temporary. On the Island, where there are no grown-ups, there are no boundaries. Because all the boys are just children, they have not learnt the proper values of what civilisation means and how it is created, or how to live in peace. Most of the boys did not know
law and order lord of the flies
Law and Order One of the first characters to emerge as a distinct personality is Piggy, who represents law and order. One of Piggy's first inspirations is brought about by the sight of a conch in a pool. When Ralph retrieves the conch, Piggy realizes that: "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting". Piggy's first instinct is for organization, and the conch which he spots becomes a symbol of the fragile system of order that the boys create. Piggy is critical of the kind of freedom that leads to disorder and chaos. When the boys agree to build a fire on the mountain to send a smoke signal, the first meeting breaks up as everyone rushes towards the mountain. Like the crowd of boys, the fire quickly gets out of control, and one of the younger boys appears to be missing -probably trapped in the burning jungle. Piggy tells the others that they have acted "like a pack of kids!" and asks, "How can you expect to be rescued if you don't put first things first and act proper?" The only salvation Piggy can envision comes from behaving in an orderly manner. The degree to which he values this vision of order is shown by his reverence for the conch, which he attempts to protect from Jack later on in the book. Even when the majority of the boys have abandoned the original, organized society, Piggy clings to the shell, stubbornly believing that the beauty of order cannot be denied.
"Why Did William Golding Name His Novel 'The Lord of the Flies'?"
"Why Did William Golding Name His Novel 'The Lord of the Flies'?" Golding's novel comprises many elements of adventure and mystery, but the greatest question surrounding the novel is the very title itself. Unlike other authors, William Golding does not appear to have chosen an appropriate title that deduces the adventure and savagery of the novel, but it is only at a closer look that the title represents the true meaning of the novel. Although throughout the book the only reference to the title is by "The Lord of the Flies" its small part in the book plays an enormous part of the overall meaning of the novel. We are only introduced to it in chapter 8 'Gift for Darkness', where it is nothing more than the decapitated head of a sow lodged onto a stick. In the text it is described as a rather haunting image, which was: ..."grinning amusedly in the strange daylight, ignoring the flies, the spilled guts, even ignoring the indignity of being spiked on a stick." The author talks about the pig's head as if it is alive by using language such as "grinning". Also the way Golding writes "strange daylight" appears that the sow represents the darkness of life, as it is only in the comfort of light that the boys have vision to see it for what it really is. This is as the "Lord of the Flies" represents the fear of the boys for something imaginary, for the beast is nothing more than a
The Beast in Lord of the Flies
The Beast in the Lord of the Flies Patrick Thompson Throughout the book the boys are constantly living in fear of some sort of wild beast which they believe inhabits the jungle. This beast is present among the boys from the very first day when a littlun informs them of a "snake-thing" that lives in the jungle the older boys dismiss this as a nightmare but the littluns are not convinced. Ralph tries to convince the boys that no such beast exists after a young boy has said that the beast comes from the sea and even Simon says their may be a beast undermining Ralph in front of the others which leads to even more fear of the so called beast. When a dead parachutist lands on the island the twins Samneric hear his parachute flapping in the wind they believe it is the beast and rush to tell the others about it at which point Jack suggests they hunt the beast, he is attempting to use their fear to get his own way but this time Ralph's common sense is supported over Jack's savage plans when he asks them "don't you want to be rescued" the boys still listen to common sense for now. Then the older boys go off to explore the area of the island which they have not ventured to yet. This is the area in which the dead airman is suspended in mid air. When the boys finally reach the corpse the wind is strong and as Ralph approaches the airman a gust of wind pushes the corpses
Violent Society in Lord of the Flies
Why does the society on the island collapse into violence in 'Lord of the Flies'? 'Lord of the Flies' is an allegorical novel by William Golding in which he employs the scene of a deserted island and the cast of a group of English schoolboys to serve as a framework, through which he explores the themes of his book. The major themes that Golding tackles are the conditioning of behaviour vs. the malicious inclination of human nature and the spectrum of civilisation and savagery. The violence on the island is generated for several reasons, major ones being the loss of conditioning, the transformation from civilised to savage and the conflict between Ralph and Jack. Conditioning is the learning process by which our behaviour becomes dependant on an event or action occurring in our environment. The boys have been constantly conditioned by schoolteachers and parents to follow the conduct of the English society, and not to do wrong or be immoral, as if they were disobedient, they would have been given punishments from authority: in this period, corporal punishment would have been common. The point in the book which clearly demonstrates the conditioning of the boys is when Roger throws stones at Henry in chapter four: 'Roger gathered a handful of stones...a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins.' (page 78). Here, Roger is incapable of throwing the stones directly at
Less Obvious Symbols in Lord of the Flies
How does Golding use the less obvious symbols in 'Lord of the Flies'? 'Lord of the Flies' is an allegorical novel by William Golding in which he employs the scene of a deserted island and the cast of a group of English schoolboys to serve as a framework, through which he explores the themes of his book. The more obvious symbols in the book appear to be the conch shell, which symbolizes order and civilisation, and Piggy's glasses, which symbolize science, intelligence and clear-sightedness. However, there are some symbols that are less obvious but still play a key role in revealing the major themes in the novel. These less obvious symbols are the action and movement of the boys, the shelters and the use of light imagery. The action and movement of the boys tracks their energy and physical ability, and this leads onto understanding their ability to persuade and control others. The shelters are the basis for their civilisation. The light imagery is used not only to describe the way that the light seen, but is symbolic of the very central theme of civilisation versus savagery, or perhaps the more universal good versus evil. The movement and action of the boys, as aforementioned, is important in understanding how physically able the boys are, but it seems as though the more physically able boys gain the control and authority over the weaker and less physically able boys. It is as
