Lord of the Flies Flashcards
The island /nature throughout the novel:
Chapter one: Here Golding clearly shows the island setting as a tropical paradise with danger underlying its beauty. Notice the vivid, physical terms he uses to portray its richness and variety- ‘defiles’, ‘cirque’, ‘reef’, ‘lagoon’ ‘scar’ . The threatening part is seen when ‘a bird , a vision od red and yellow, flashed upwards with a witch-like cry’ (p.1). You will see that the island is one of the many contrasts- high and low, rocky and forested, friendly and unfriendly. It is also ‘rouhgly boat-shaped’ (p.26)
The bad weather on the island foreshadows later events when simon is murdered.
Chapter 2: Here it is discovered that the boys are on a unhabited island establishing this shows how the setting of the island is used by golding to isolate them. The dual nature of the island is also explored with the fire on the mountain top burning out of control the mountain top once represented a place to signal for help and safety shifts to a place of destruction showing how evil corrupts the setting of the island
Chapter 3: The nature of the islands abundance of fruit and shellfish ‘double handfuls of ripe fruit’ makes the reading question why Jack is so keen to want meat.
Chapter 5 Beast from the water : Golding uses this chapter to show how the boys fears take shape as the beast however their focus on possible external sources of evil on an island so small that has already been searched hampers home the idea that the evil is within them
Chapter six beast from air: here golding mingles natural descriptions with events to set the scene and action ‘a silver moon rose over the horizon’ going on to describe the vantage point of the island. Notice ‘but there were other lights in the sky, that moved fast, winked, or went out’.
Chapter seven shadows and tall trees:
Natural imagery: the description of the forest is vivid the undergrowth on one side is impassable the sea and cliffs on the other are threatening showing the reader that ‘the divider the barrier’ between the adults and the boys’ world. Golding uses a three part list to show how Ralph cannot help but recognise the fact that the boys are trapped on the island: ‘one was clamped down, one was helpless one was condemned’. Ralph earlier called the island ‘good’ but in this chapter the natural forces appear hostile. Ralph is unable to understand the power of the sea against humanity. The sea has the power to ‘suck down’. As the boys situation becomes more threatening so do their surroundings. While intially there was a balance of comforting and frightening descriptions of the island that balance is now shifting.
Chapter 12: Nature:
Notice how ralph was ‘scratched and bruised from his flight through the forest’ showing how nature has injured him. He was unable to bathe his wounds as he would not feel safe from Jack’s tribe ‘by the little stream or on the open beach’.nature also failed to offer him any help
In the final chapter light and dark are used to describe the trees and foliage. This could represent the good and bad that Golding wanted to emphasise is present in us all.
Piggy
Piggy is named because of his appearance but we never know his real name
Chapter 1: Piggy one of the first of two characters to be introduced in the book and uses the conch along with Ralph to summon the other boys. Piggy’s knickname is revealed to the boys amusement.
Ralph is clearly more relaxed on the island than piggy and takes the opportunity to go for a swim. Piggy’s character is developed by showing how he tries to be friendly confiding his nickname in ralph. Piggy is fat asthmatic and far from physically fit however he thinks and acts like an adult and makes intelligent suggestions to Ralph such as ‘we ought to have a meeting’. Ralph puts his ideas into action.When piggy proposes that they make a list of names,Jack ridicules this list. Jack has a preference fro action overthought ‘your’e talking too much’ said jack merridew shut up fatty.
Chapter 2: A fire lit on the mountain top using Piggy’s glasses burns out of control. Piggy’s role is as the most adult -like and so representative of reason is clearly developed in this chapter. Whilst most of the boys see the fun of the fire he sees its possible dangers. His manner and tone in this chapter are almost parental: ‘My! You’ve made a big heap, haven’t you?’. He also urges the need for practical considerations like shelters after the cold previous night.
Piggys glasses: Represent different symbols throughout the book. First they expose the break down of law and order they belong to Piggy who needs them used with permission they start fires and are seen as essential to both rescue and hygienically cooked food.
In later chapters, Jack refuses to respect piggys right to glasses first punching him and breaking a lens, then stealing them to light fires.
Second they represent possession or ownership by using piggy’s glasses to light fire jack replaces the rule of law with personal desire and need.
Finally they also contribute to irony in the novel, as Piggy is unable to see clearly without them, yet is able to ‘see’ the truth better than any of the others.
Chapter 4: Ralph is angry about Jack’s hunters letting the fire go out piggy backs him up and Jack smashes a lens in his glasses. Attitudes towards Piggy are clearly shown here generally speaking the others see piggy as ‘an outsider’. His accent is different less middle class than the others. His size asthma and glasses set him apart. He is of little help practically so he can be seen as useless. Ralph first sees Piggy in a negative light thinking him a ‘bore’. At this point ralph thinks Piggy’s ideas are ‘dull’ and he smiles at the prospect of ‘pulling his leg’. Jack aggresively uses Piggy as an easy target to express his frustrations. When the boys cook and eat the pig piggy asks for but Jack points out that he isn’t entitled to anything because he did not hunt.
Chapter 5: Discussion turns to the beast Jack and Piggy dismiss the idea. Ralph has newfound respect for Piggy because he possesses important leadership qualities. Piggy sees Ralph as a good and natural leader but fears his own position is ralph loses power and is afraid of Jack.
Chapter 6: The bigger boys without Piggy set off to find the beast. Piggy is not fit however he is intelligent and able to expres ideas and opinions despite dismissing the idea that their may be ghosts earlier he admits to being frightened, suggesting that they stay where they are rather than search for the beast. After the meeting Piggy urges Jack to ‘blow the conch’ to restore order and call the other back but ralph recognises the power of the conch and recognises that risking the conch being ignored is dangerous ‘If I blow the conch and they don’t come back …. we’ve had it’. Although Piggy is the representative of clear thinking here it is fear that governs his thoughts. showing that ralph understands people better than Piggy. this trait makes him a more suitable leader. The 3 main boys are each motivated by an emotion Piggy’s is fear.
Chapter 8: Golding highlights ralph and piggy’s realistic approach when they concede that the boys would be powerless against a beast. Piggy recognises Jack’s ego telling Ralph ‘Now you’ve done it . You been rude about his hunters’. The book is an allegory in which events and people represent different ideas some critics see a physchological allegory based on Freud’s ideas in which the three boys represnt the three key aspects of self. Piggy’s role is the superego- the part that sets limits and seeks to control the id’s impulses because of morality.
Chapter 9: Ralph and Piggy join Jack’s party where they are eating meat and having a feast. A thunderstorm starts and Piggy senses trouble.
Chapter 10: Piggy and Ralph talk about the events of the previous night. Sam and Eric join them guilt -ridden the 4 lie about their involvement. We witnesses discussions about Simon’s death which Piggy insists is an accident. Ralph, Piggy and the twins try unsuccessfully to relight the fire. Ralph shows signs of confusion and they give up on the fire for the evening. In their shelters that night they hear noises outside. Jack and two of his hunters attack and steal Piggy’s glasses. Golding named this chapter the shell and the glasses both are symbols the glasses are useful to Piggy but have a function beyond that for everyone else - they can start fire. The ability to make fire is something that sers humans apart from animals so they also symbolise intelligence and knowledege and mastery of primal instincrs. Note that Piggy perceives the conch as the more valuable item, holding it-literally- with respect and affect during the events of the next chapter.
Chapter 11: Ralph is unable to light fire without Piggy’s glasses. Piggy;s faith in the ultimate power of the conch is exhibited when he proudly carries the shell to Castle rock. The conch group decide to confront Jack and his hunters. A scuffle breaks out between the two groups at castle rock. Roger leans on the lever which catapults a heavy rock towards Piggy. Piggy is killed by the falling rock and the conch is destroyed. Their is a clear parallel between the death of pigs and the death of piggy. ‘arms twitched a bit , like a pig’s after it has been killed’. and note the similarities with the graphic earlier acounts of pig killings. The focus on Piggy as ‘the centre of social derision’ a source of amusement-ends . School boy humour or indeed fun of any sort is not seen after Piggy’s death.
Context talk :
Cold war paronoisa: First use of atomic weapons in war at Hiroshima Japan 6th August 1945
Pessimism: after WW2 experiences
Nazis: He believed that people were wrong afte the war for being relieved that they were’nt the nazis
British still evil
Lord of the flies was published in 1954 and in 1961 Golding became a full time writer
William Golding son of a school master was born in Cornwall on 19 september 1911
