Lord of the Flies
Analysis
Chapter 1
- Golding establishes immediately the contrast between the savage and the civilized that exists in this new environment for the boys. Freed from adult authority and the mores of society, Ralph plays in the beach naked, a practice commonly associated with uncivilized cultures. Ralph does not panic over the children's abandonment on the island, but rather approaches it as a paradise of freedom in which he can play happily, he shows this by standing on his head. Though Ralph doesn`t notice that children aren`t able of maintaining themselves without the help of adults. Ralph believes that his father (who is a commander in the navy) is going to save them. This raises the important question about what influence will cause his believe to collapse. By believing that his father will save them Ralph shows a tendency to escape from reality.
- The first sign of disturbance within the seemingly tranquil island is the appearance of Jack and his choir. Golding portrays Jack and his compatriots as militaristic and aggressive, with Jack's bold manner and the choir marching in step with one another. They are the first concrete entrance of civilization onto the island and a decidedly negative one. Jack seems a physical manifestation of evil: with his dark cloak and wild black hair, he gives a slightly Satanic impression. But he also has a silver cross, which shows an element of goodness. Jack is a decided military authoritarian, with a lust for power. He orders his choir, who follow him blindly, as if they were troops, allowing room for neither discussion nor dissent. Significantly, the role that he first chooses for his choir is as hunters; he selects that task which is most violent and, in this society, most related to military values. However, as his inability to kill the pig demonstrates, Jack is not yet accustomed to violence. Golding indicates that Jack must prepare himself to commit a violent act, for he still constrained by societal rules that oppose this behavior; his authoritarian attitude has given him a predisposition to violence, but he must shed the lessons of society before he can kill.
