Lord Of The Flies Themes

Question 1

Darkness and death (Jack)- “inside the floating cloak he was tall, thin, and bony: and his hair was red beneath the black cap”

Answer 1

• “red”- devil, contrast to his character who was a choir boy- should be angelic
• “floating”/”bony”= ghostly, death> he kills= foreshadow
• “black cap”= hangman= killer> foreshadow Jack killing people

Question 2

Savagery and loss of innocence (Jack)

“There isn’t a snake-thing. But if there was a snake we’d hunt it and kill it”

Answer 2

• rules by fear> dictator. CONTEXT= WW2 - HITLER = DICTATOR

* “snake”= evil in Eden= post-lapsarian innocence= Jack

Question 3

Savagery and loss of innocence (Jack)

“Jack turned to the choir, who stood ready. Their black caps of maintenance were slid over once ear like berets”

Answer 3

•”like berets”= image of corruption(army). CONTEXT OF WW2
•”black caps” hangman> brings death upon man
• “…choir, who stood ready.”
^”choir” = innocence -“who stood ready”= army} juxtaposition

Question 4

Savagery and loss of innocence (Jack)

“holding the delicate thing carefully in his sooty hands”

Answer 4

• conch= democracy= delicate> making democracy dirty
• Jack uses shell for power rather than democracy= dictatorship
• “delicate” aware that democracy is easily broken emphasises tragedy } metaphor

Question 5

Civilisation and order

“Now, though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still felt the unease of wrong-doing”

Answer 5

• without parents he still knows what’s right and what’s wrong
• civilisation benefits

Question 6

Civilisation and order (Jack)

“He peered at his reflection and disliked it”

Answer 6

• war paint CONTEXT WW2
• unrecognisable, doesn’t like the look of uncivilised self
• civilisation= strong, causes children to still know what’s right and wrong

Question 7

Darkness and death

“The boys rushed screaming into the darkness”

Answer 7

• children running into darkness and death

* darkness/death enticing them similar to snake in GOE = post-lapsarian innocence

Question 8

Fear and the beast (Jack)

“He says the beast comes out at sea”

Answer 8

• Jack makes the beast into reality

* Metaphor-sea =a way to escape. If beast is in sea they ant escape, like the evil within cannot escape

Question 9

Fear and the beast (Jack, littluns)

“You littluns started all this with the fear talk. Beasts!”

Answer 9

• Jack wants to control them with the fear of the beast

* Beast within controls them= metaphor for Jack controlling them

Question 10

Blindness and sight (Piggy)

“And I’ve been wearing my specs since I was three”

Answer 10

• Age u start school= intelligence
• Links to democracy- school have rules, society has rules
• specs=fire

Question 11

Blindness and sight (Piggy)

“Put on his flashing glasses”

Answer 11

• flashing=fire=only sense of rescue

* foreshadow fires therefore Piggy should be respected

Question 12

(Jack) Power

“If you want to join my tribe come and see us.”

Answer 12

• “tribe”= inhumane humans

* accepts he’s uncivilised/ is evil

Question 13

(Ralph) power

“That’s right. Keep Piggy out of danger”

Answer 13

• J challenges R’s authority=riots

* R knows who needs the most protection

Question 14

Nature

“The upheavals of fallen trees, scattered with decaying coco-nuts”

Answer 14

• trees look like corpses
• Adults died on island=suggests they’re there
• foreshadows death to come-an island that’s not tranquil

Question 15

Nature

“Beyond was the glitter of the sea”

Answer 15

• way if rescue is described nicely

* sense of hope

Question 16

Nature(Ralph)

“Now he saw the landsman’s view of the swell and it seemed like the breathing of some stupendous creature”

Answer 16

• vulnerable piece of land foreshadows destruction
• landsman’s view. Knows the island very well
• knows v. Little about sea

Question 17

Darkness and death (Jack)

“Jack stood up, scowling in the gloom”

Answer 17

• challenges beast within him

* entered by democracy=animalistic

Question 18

Darkness and death

“Darkness poured out”

Answer 18

• no light=no hope

* darkness of humans can’t be contained CONTEXT

Question 19

Civilisation and order (Roger)

“Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and and school and policemen and the law”

Answer 19

• Metaphor for protection- children can’t escape civilisation
• Rogers arm was conditioned by civilisation-he follows rules involuntarily

Question 20

Fear and the beast (Simon)

“Simon became inarticulate I bus efforts to express mankind’s essential illness”

Answer 20

• Knows the beasts within

* only a kid, can’t explain it all

Question 21

Blindness and sight (Jack and Piggy)

“Jack snatched the glasses off his face”

Answer 21

• Takes away piggy’s intelligence

* metaphor for rescue- Jack gets busy hunting, fire gets out, takes away glasses from piggy therefore can’t start fire

Question 22

Power (Ralph)
“But there was a stillness about Ralph… There was his size m, and attractive appearance… yet most powerfully, there was the conch”

Answer 22

• Qualities of a good leader

* conch has real power= metaphor for democracy

Question 23

Simon

“The usual brightness was gone from his eyes and he walked… like an old man”

Answer 23

• knows he will be killed(Jesus)

* has the wisdom of an old man but is only a child

Question 24

Simon

“Then he took the lines in his hands;he freed… the figure from the wind’s indignity”

Answer 24

• Stronger than the force of wind

* Setting people free(Jesus)

Question 25

Darkness and death/ Roger

“Roger who carried death in his hands”

Answer 25

• He carries out death (hangman)> kills Piggy

* Loss of civilisation

Question 26

Roger(power)

“Some source of power began to pulse in Roger’s body”

Answer 26

• Sadistic- enjoys the fight between life and death

* Only time that he feels empowered/ he was v. quiet

Question 27

Conch

“Most powerfully there was the conch”

Answer 27

• conch=democracy= most powerful

* conch= inanimate object yet best leader

Question 28

Conch

“ A conch he called it… Ever so valuable-“

Answer 28

• Knows the importance and value of democracy

* Knows democracy has to be respected for society to work

Question 29

Conch

“We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting”

Answer 29

• Conch brings R and P closer, shows they have a symbiotic relationship
• Conch makes life easier for them. Shows democracy is helping them