Lord of the Flies Flashcards
Piggy
intro
represents intellect, civilisation and rationality
beginning
physical appearance and social status
overweight, glasses, asthma, non standard way of speaking (informal and contradictions) making him different and therefore a target
no one ever learns his name and they just call him Piggy which is already mean and dehumanising and foreshadows his fate
these physical characteristics emphasise differences between him and the other boys showing he is different (doesn’t like savagery -> stands by rules)
middle
intellect and rationality
logical thinking -> his idea to use the conch and have rules
uses scientific reasoning
he realises that there are no adults and no one knows where they are however is not appreciated for his intelligence by anyone other than partly Ralph showing how in the savage world of the book intelligence is not strong enough to control the impulsive actions
end
civilisation
his glasses make fire (only hope of rescue back to civilisation) and he came up with conch rules (like civilisation)
gets bullied (his name, glasses stolen, mocked) and eventually killed as he represents civilisation so can’t live in the same world as Jack’s savagery
civilisation is thin veneer which simply masks inherent evil and savagery in everyone -> easily destroyed without constant reminder of society
conch explodes with him marking end of civilisation and triumph of savagery and chaos
Piggy quotes
beginning
“He was shorter than the fair boy and very fat.”
“I can’t hardly move with all these creeper things.”
“I can’t swim. I wasn’t allowed. My asthma―”
middle
“nobody knows where we are”
“They’re all dead.”
“Life… is scientific.”
“We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us.”
end
“but if you stand out of the way he’d hurt the next thing. And that’s me.”
“From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses”
“conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist”
“Which is better—to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?”
Ralph
intro
symbol of democratic leadership, his downfall represents loss of law and order
novel’s protagonist
beginning
natural democratic leader
strong physical appearance and charismatic personality
elected democratically showing how lots of people have agreed on him as a leader
follows democracy as uses conch and upholds fairness -> boys are still used to democratic lifestyle so he finds it easier to maintain this leadership
middle
begins to lose power and struggles to maintain rules
Jack gains power taking it away from Ralph and more boys join Jack to hunt and have fun instead of doing what is necessary
as it has been a long time from when they experienced civilisation even Ralph becomes tempted -> joins in with Simons murder showing how everyone has savagery in them just it is supressed by a thin veneer of society
end
completely lost all power as the boys have converted to savagery so his democratic leadership does not fit anywhere
struggles to maintain reason as there is no Piggy (no civilisation) showing how he is not that much different to the other boys as he too could be savage without society
ending he has large realisation -> change in perception from childhood, evil is part of human nature and grieves for Piggy and can never go back to what he was -> witnessed true nature of man
Ralph quotes
beginning
‘We ought to have more rules’
“I’m chief. I was chosen”
“fair hair”
middle
“Which is better –to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?”
“The fire is the most important thing on the island”
“Don’t you want to be rescued?”
end
“What was the sensible thing to do? There was no Piggy to talk sense.”
‘Ralph launched himself like a cat; stabbing, snarling, with the spear, and the savage doubled up’
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.”
Jack
intro
descent into savagery, violence, dictator leadership
novel’s antagonist
beginning
initially savagery is in check as he is still used to civilisation however glimpses at what he will become -> first hunts and how he can’t quite bring himself to kill the pig but the ambition and drive is present foreshadowing with move away from civilisation (masks and loss of clothing) he unchecks himself
his desire for power is also obvious as he wants to be leader but does it in a very different style to Ralph based on manipulation of emotion (dictator)
middle
descent into savagery as his savagery becomes more and more prominent as they move away from civilisation
Jack never follows the rules and responsibilities set out by Ralph
he does whatever he pleases (hunting instead of building huts)
instigates Simons death
later his total rejection of Ralph’s authority is more explicit: “Bollocks to the rules!” (Chapter 5)
embodies primal instincts and a desire for power and dominance as he prioritizes hunting and savagery over the group’s collective goals, like building shelters and maintaining the signal fire
end
complete transformation to savagery and very violent/ruthless
he acts as he wants to without caring about what will get them rescued or the consequences of his actions
he kills lots of pigs, instructs Roger to set up the trap which kills Piggy
torturing any boys who disobey him -> rules through fear -> dictator
hunts ralph
use masks to free other boys from worry of punishment to further convert them to savagery
represents the dark side of human nature
uses the beast to manipulate the boys fear so they look to him
Jack quotes
beginning
“Hiss of indrawn breath… became less a hunter than a furtive thing, ape like”
“He passed like a shadow… and crouched”
“I ought to be chief,” said Jack with simple arrogance, “because I’m chapter chorister and head boy.”
“He knelt, holding the pointed end of the spear, and then thrust it forward. He faltered for a second, trying to strike it, but the spear just didn’t land.”
middle
“Bollocks to the rules!” (Chapter 5)
We hunt and feast and have fun”
“the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness.”
end
“He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling,”
“Sharpen a stick at both ends.”
“Jack had him by the hair and was brandishing his knife’
“See? They do what I want.”
“We’ll hunt it down and kill it.”
Simon
intro
perceptive, kind
He doesn’t change over the book, he doesn’t get tempted by the savagery, stays nice
Simon plays the role of the good part of the boys, shows us there is always kindness and can always be helpful
beginning
inherently kind
helps the littluns gather food by picking fruit they cannot reach
Always helping Ralph when no one else does, helps the littleuns
reflect a deep sense of morality and concern for the well-being of others. He is compassionate, helps the younger boys, and often retreats into nature to find peace and solace.
isn’t interested in power or control just wants to help others -> doesn’t want power which is why he doesn’t get corrupted
middle
perceptive
He knows what the actual beast is
knows the island is not necessarily good
he knows he won’t make it off the island
his interaction with the lord of the flies -> can see beyond its physical grotesqueness and so can ‘talk’ to it and it reveals further things to him -> the boys can’t escape the beast as it is inside them
solitary -> retreats to the forest to have peace and reflect and see true nature of the situation
end
represents innocence and good
His experiences with the “Lord of the Flies” symbolize a confrontation with the inherent evil within humanity, but he remains steadfast in his belief in the intrinsic goodness of people
his death and body floating away is the loss of innocence and kindness and evil triumphing -> hes too pure to survive with the savagery
Simon quotes
beginning
“Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach”
“We used [Piggy’s] specs…He helped that way.”
“There was a gentle, reassuring note in his voice.”
middle
“As if it wasn’t a good island…”
“Maybe there is a beast… Maybe it’s only us.”
“eyes so bright they had deceived Ralph”
“You’ll get back all right. I think so, anyway.”
end
“simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea”
“He [Simon] walked with a kind of gliding step, the jungle was alive with birds, insects, and with the flowers and fruit that surrounded him.”
Roger
intro
pure evil
beginning
quiet and reserved
doesn’t do much as they are currently in democracy and civilisation which doesn’t suit him and his style
has a unsettling element to him which foreshadows to later
middle
increasing cruelty as democracy and civilisation breaks down so he can act more freely
throws rocks at henry
At this stage he “threw to miss” showing he enjoys the power to inflict fear
This suggests that he is still constrained by society’s moral codes and can’t fully act as he wants (“Roger’s arm was conditioned by civilisation”
They also kill a pig for the first time, which also marks a turning point in the novel
end
pure evil
His black hair, with a fringe covering his forehead, gives him a sinister appearance foreshadows
ruthless -> tortures samneric for helping ralph
no restraints to how he acts as they are in a complete ruthless dictatorship and have moved completely away from civilisation -> no morals or expectations like in society
kills piggy without remorse which is point of complete loss of civilisation which he caused -> shows how Rogers evil counter acts good
conclusion
is pure evil
gets worse over the novel
Golding is suggesting that the very real human impulse for violence and evil is largely constrained by society’s rules and values:
Without these conventions governing our behaviour, he seems to suggest, evil is unleashed
Roger quotes
beginning
“a slight, furtive boy…with an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy.”
“Roger remained silent, but now the barbarians had blooded the nose of the civil.”
“Roger was not allowed to speak but he did not mind. He was a quiet boy.”
middle
“threw to miss”
“Roger’s arm was conditioned by civilisation”
end
“Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever.”
“Roger sharpened a stick at both ends”
“Roger, who carried death in his hands, stirred the gold dust in the sunshine with a spear.”
Conch
intro
civilisation, power/order, democracy
beginning
democracy
discovered by Piggy and Ralph -> they are the ones who uphold the democracy
establish rules with it such as you can only talk if you have the conch
calls assemblys
very powerful as the boys are still used to civilisation so accept the democratic leadership style making it an effective tool
middle
power begins to fade as the boys begin to fall into savagery
Jack hunting and becoming more rebellious -> influencing other boys
much more hunting -> primal behavior which does not suit democracy
breakdown of civilisation -> conch becomes less and less effective
end
complete breakdown of rules and democracy
conch and piggy are both destroyed -> two main upholders and symbols for civilisation gone marking turning point to complete savagery and dictatorship as there is no place for rules and order in complete chaos
destroyed by Roger who is pure evil so benefits from freedom and lack of consequences which he would not achieve in democracy
destruction of the conch suggests that civilisation is only a thin veil which can easily break down when faced with chaos
Conch quotes
beginning
‘Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence’
“lots of rules!”
“I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.”
middle
“Which is better –to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?”
“spoke against the rules; but nobody minded’
“We don’t need the conch anymore”
“The rules! You’re breaking the rules!” “Who cares?”
“If I blow the conch and they don’t come back, then we’ve had it.”
end
‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.”
Power + Leadership
intro
Ralph - democratic leadership
jack - dictatorship
conch - initial power for democratic leadership which fades
beginning
ralph is in charge and very democratic type of leadership
use the conch which is a symbol for democracy
Ralph enforces rules law and order with the help of Piggy and the conch
make good progress towards rescue -> benefits of structure
middle
democracy is breaking down (thin veneer of civilisation simply hiding savage instincts) -> jack is gaining power
conch is loosing power
Jack becomes more rebellious and hunts more showing growth in primal instincts -> appeals to the other boys by tempting them with fun and manipulating their fear (dictatorship) which is how he gained power and in general boys become more savage as civilisation becomes more distant
use of masks to allow the boys to act freely without being held accountable so they have no fear of being caught
end
Jack is in charge -> violent dictatorship style of leadership and power achieved by manipulation of fear
conch is destroyed and Piggy is killed -> marks complete loss of democracy and civilisation
everyone follows jack now -> turns into chaos and savagery
jack always had ambition for power however couldn’t initially achieve it as democracy was too strong
assisted by Roger in ruling by fear as Roger brings unchecked brutality
ironic at the end when the naval officer finds them (he is in a position of power) and how the adult world and fighting is exactly the same as what happened to the boys
conclusion
shows how eventually all humans are selfish and prefer a place where they can do whatever even if its not in their best interest
power + leadership quotes
beginning
‘The group of boys looked at the white shell with affectionate respect’
‘Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence’
“lots of rules!”
middle
“If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it”
“spoke against the rules; but nobody minded’
“We don’t need the conch anymore”
“The rules! You’re breaking the rules!” “Who cares?”
end
‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’
“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt!”
“I ought to be chief.”
“The beast is a hunter.”
“The conch doesn’t count at this end of the island.”
“Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever.”
good vs evil
people try to be good but as the book goes on the evil present in all of us takes over
roger represents evil whereas simon represents good
beginning
everyone tries to be good and do what is right
at the start they follow democracy and try to do whats best for everyone
use the conch -> democratic power -> maintains order to prevent chaos which is a force of evil
Ralph also tries his best to maintain rules and order in order to try and get them rescued
originally roger is quiet and reserved as there is no place for pure evil in traditional civilisation and society
simon is always kind
middle
start to become more evil and savage however simon does not
roger tramples over sandcastles and throws rocks at the littluns as early as Chapter 4 whereas simon helps them find fruit -> juxtaposition
shows how evil is taking over with the breakdown of civilisation and rules and order as it benefits from chaos and masks as there is no fear of consequences
simon never becomes evil -> realises the beast is the evil present inside everyone
end
simon dies showing how evil won the battle -> the pure good of simon could not survive on an island filled with evil
even Ralph gets caught up in acts of evil showing how it is a part of everyone
everyone is fully savage as evil has won the battle
roger kills piggy and isn’t held back like earlier showing evil has fully taken over and won the battle
ralph realises at the end evil has won and the childhood innocence is permanently lost
ironic at the end when the naval officer finds them and how the adult world and fighting is exactly the same as what happened to the boys -> evil is present everywhere
good vs evil quotes
beginning
“a slight, furtive boy…with an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy.”
“We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages.”
‘The group of boys looked at the white shell with affectionate respect’
‘Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence’
middle
“threw to miss”
“Roger’s arm was conditioned by civilisation”
“Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach”
“We don’t need the conch anymore”
“The rules! You’re breaking the rules!” “Who cares?”
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.”
end
“Roger sharpened a stick at both ends”
“Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever.”
“simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea”
‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.”
civilisation/society vs savagery
intro
Ralph - democratic leadership + civilisation
jack - dictatorship + savagery
conch - initial power for democratic leadership which fades
beginning
ralph is in charge and very democratic type of leadership and sets up lots of rules to match civilisation
use the conch which is a symbol for democracy and rules and order
Ralph enforces rules law and order with the help of Piggy and the conch
make good progress towards rescue -> benefits of structure and civilisation
middle
civilisation is breaking down -> jack is gaining power and moving to savagery
conch is loosing power
Jack becomes more rebellious and hunts more showing growth in primal instincts -> short time away from civilisation is all it takes for inherent evil to take over and in general boys become more savage as civilisation becomes more distant as it is much easier for the boys to just have fun and act as they wish
use of masks to make it much easier to act freely and savage
end
Jack is in charge -> violent dictatorship style of leadership and power achieved by manipulation of fear -> full descent into savagery
conch is destroyed and Piggy is killed -> marks complete loss of democracy and civilisation -> civilisation is a thin veneer which just covers up the evil and savagery present in everyone
everyone follows jack now -> turns into chaos and savagery
jack always had ambition for power however couldn’t initially achieve it as democracy was too strong
assisted by Roger in ruling by fear as Roger brings unchecked brutality
ironic at the end when the naval officer finds them (he is in a position of power) and how the adult world and fighting is exactly the same as what happened to the boys
conclusion
shows how eventually all humans are selfish and prefer a place where they can do whatever even if its not in their best interest
civilisation/society vs savagery quotes
beginning
‘The group of boys looked at the white shell with affectionate respect’
‘Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence’
“lots of rules!”
middle
“If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it”
“spoke against the rules; but nobody minded’
“We don’t need the conch anymore”
“The rules! You’re breaking the rules!” “Who cares?”
end
‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’
“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt!”
“I ought to be chief.”
“The beast is a hunter.”
“The conch doesn’t count at this end of the island.”
“Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever.”
rules, law and order
beginning
originally rules law and order holds lots of power
ralph is in charge and very democratic type of leadership -> lots of rules
use the conch which is a symbol for democracy
Ralph enforces rules law and order with the help of Piggy and the conch
make good progress towards rescue -> benefits of structure and order
middle
breakdown of rules law and order
democracy is breaking down -> jack is gaining power by tempting the boys with idea of fun and carefree life
conch is loosing power
Jack becomes more rebellious and hunts more showing growth in primal instincts (lack of rules allows evil to come out) and in general boys become more savage as civilisation becomes more distant
much easier for boys to have fun instead of following the rules
use of masks to make it much easier to act freely and savage -> aids in the breakdown of rules as the boys are not concerned about consequences as they are hidden
end
complete breakdown of rules law and order
Jack is in charge -> violent dictatorship style of leadership and power achieved by manipulation of fear
conch is destroyed and Piggy is killed -> marks complete loss of rules law and order, democracy and civilisation -> rules and order is just thin veneer preventing evil from being apparent
everyone follows jack now -> turns into chaos and savagery -> no rules
ironic at the end when the naval officer finds them (he is in a position of power) and how the adult world and fighting is exactly the same as what happened to the boys
rules, law and order quotes
beginning
‘The group of boys looked at the white shell with affectionate respect’
‘Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence’
“lots of rules!”
middle
“If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it”
“spoke against the rules; but nobody minded’
“We don’t need the conch anymore”
“The rules! You’re breaking the rules!” “Who cares?”
end
‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’
“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt!”
“I ought to be chief.”
“The beast is a hunter.”
“The conch doesn’t count at this end of the island.”
change (things fall apart)
beginning
starts as democracy mirroring civilisation and this holds lots of power
ralph is in charge and very democratic type of leadership
use the conch which is a symbol for democracy
Ralph enforces rules law and order with the help of Piggy and the conch
make good progress towards rescue -> benefits of rules and order
middle
beginning of breakdown of rules law and order and civilisation
democracy is breaking down -> jack is gaining power with emotional temptation -> having fun + masks
conch is loosing power
Jack becomes more rebellious and hunts more showing growth in primal instincts and in general boys become more savage as civilisation becomes more distant
much easier for boys to have fun instead of following the rules
use of masks to make it much easier to act freely and savage -> aids in the breakdown of rules as the boys are not concerned about consequences as they are hidden
no progress towards rescue
end
complete breakdown of rules law and order -> change from the beginning
Jack is in charge -> violent dictatorship style of leadership and power achieved by manipulation of fear
conch is destroyed and Piggy is killed -> marks complete loss of rules law and order, democracy and civilisation -> civilisation is thin veneer to mask evil
everyone follows jack now -> turns into chaos and savagery -> no rules
change (things fall apart) quotes
beginning
‘The group of boys looked at the white shell with affectionate respect’
‘Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence’
“lots of rules!”
middle
“If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it”
“spoke against the rules; but nobody minded’
“We don’t need the conch anymore”
“The rules! You’re breaking the rules!” “Who cares?”
end
‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’
“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt!”
“I ought to be chief.”
“The beast is a hunter.”
“The conch doesn’t count at this end of the island.”
loss of innocence and knowledge
intro
innocence is lost throughout the book just as they get more savage
stems down from a brakdown of law and order
beginning
boys are shown to originally be innocent children as they are not aware of the severity of the situation they are in
set up a leadership system similar to at school
very hopeful about rescue even though chances are slim shows unawareness which comes with innocence
happy with the island -> think its beautiful and cool that they get to spend time here
call the beast ‘beastie’ -> childish simple image
Jack begins to hunt however fails to actually kill the pig showing how he is too innocent to take another life
middle
begin to lose innocence
boys begin to realise the island is not good
The verb phrase ‘smiled jeerfully’ suggests that he is almost mocking the past (+more innocent) version of himself.
hunt more seriously and kill pig -> brutal thing to do and killing the pig is key milestone in losing innocence as taking another life is significant -> rush of adrenaline and power felt in moment foreshadows later violence which becomes more prevelant as the boys become less and less innocent
shows a realisation that things like physical beasts may not exist rather true evil comes from within man
end
simons death marks the end of innocence -> driven by mob mentality and fear and excitement and simon was purest person on island -> died as he couldn’t be part of the new lifestyle on the island
destruction of the conch -> loss of rules and order and civilised style they originally had
corruption of Ralph -> without Piggy to guide him even he becomes partly savage and loses his moral compass -> takes part in simons murder
corruption of Jack -> always showed desire for power however by the end of the book is brutal and manipulative -> not childish behaviour
naval officer -> ironic as he does not understand extent of what the boys where doing -> believes them to be innocent children shows the full contrast to the start
loss of innocence and knowledge quotes
beginning
“The glittering sea rose up”
“this is a good island”
“beastie”
“We’ll get a fire going and be rescued.”
“He knelt, holding the pointed end of the spear, and then thrust it forward. He faltered for a second, trying to strike it, but the spear just didn’t land.”
middle
“as though it were part of a brighter childhood, he smiled jeeringly.”
“maybe there is a beast… maybe its only us”
“As if it wasn’t a good island”
“Kill the pig! cut her throat! spill her blood!”
end
‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’
“Simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea”
“What was the sensible thing to do? There was no Piggy to talk sense.”
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.”
“I should have thought that a pack of British boys… would have been able to put up a better show than that”
mob mentality
intro
break down law and order
savagery
powerful
beginning
not much mob mentality
when we first meet the hunters they are described the dark mass -> first example which foreshadows to later in the book
they are refered to as the creature which dehumanizes them
still civilised which where there is no savagery so no mob mentality as they go hand in hand
middle
more savage and so more mob mentality
powerful and dangerous
chants around the fire
killing pigs -> fuels ambition and drives boys to continue acting like this as they are addicted to feeling of power -> thrill of the hunt
masks allow the boys to act freely without restraint and concern of being caught
end
breakdown of law and order
kill piggy + conch breaks -> loss of civilisation so full savagery and mob mentality -> no constraints
killing simon -> extreme power that comes with it -> causes loss of innocence and rise of evil and savagery as the main source of purity is now gone
mob mentality quotes
beginning
‘The boy who controlled them…”
“the creature”
‘The group of boys looked at the white shell with affectionate respect’
middle
“… the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness.”
“kill the pig. cut his throat. spill his blood”
end
‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’
“Simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea”
“bollocks to the rules!”
