loss of innocence Flashcards
“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”
When Ralph sees the officer, a moment of deus ex machina, he ‘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’. The tricolon structure underscores the emotional weight of this epiphany- moving from a loss of childhood ‘innocence’ to an abstract recognition of intrinsic evil, and finally to a deeply personal grief. It is clear that the rescue is not a moment of unequivocal joy as one might expect. The poetic phrasing of ‘fall through the air’ softens Piggy’s brutal death, mirroring society’s tendency to mask violence behind euphemism. Moreover, the abstract noun ‘darkness’ connotes to something hidden, mysterious and corrupt, while ‘heart’ (often associated with emotion and humanity) becomes a site of corruption- not just on the surface, but innately within them.
“That was Simon. That was murder”
The blunt statement ‘that was Simon. That was murder’ represents the boys’ fleeting moment of moral clarity. The repetition of ‘that was’ emphasises their need to name and face the reality of their actions, acknowledging the gravity of what happened- it wasn’t an accident or a game. Meanwhile, the use of the word ‘murder’ (a legal term) breaks the illusion that the boys are just playing a game, and reintroduces adult consequences. Yet the brevity of this realisation, followed by denial and justification, exposes the irreparable damage savagery has caused.
“It was an accident… and that’s that.”
The statement ‘It was an accident…and that’s that’ captures the boys’ desperate attempt to repress guilt. The repetition and ellipsis suggest hesitation and a weak internal struggle between moral responsibility and self-preservation. By brushing off Simon’s death with ‘and that’s that’, they choose denial over accountability- perhaps highlighting Golding’s idea that evil isn’t always dramatic or monstrous, but is often ordinary, hidden behind excuses and refusal to accept blame. This is emphasised through the term ‘accident’, which is deliberately chosen to minimise Simon’s murder, suggesting that the boys’ are consciously reframing reality to absolve guilt. This directly contradicts the brutal nature of Simon’s death with the innocence implied by ‘accident’, highlighting how violence can be easily dismissed as something unintended when there are no consequences.
“Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.”
The past tense ‘sharpened’ implies premeditation, and the ambiguity of ‘both ends’ alludes to the earlier pig’s head- the implication is now that Ralph is being hunted like an animal. The simplicity of the sentence therefore mirrors the stark brutality it represents, whilst the absence of emotion or explanation reflects how far Roger has descended into this savagery.
“We’ll have fun”
The seemingly harmless phrase ‘we’ll have fun’ is twisted into something deeply sinister. The casual promise of ‘fun’ becomes a euphemism for cruelty and death, suggesting that even language itself is corrupted in a lawless world. It mocks their earlier excitement about freedom, suggesting that without rules, ‘fun’ becomes violent and deadly. Also, its ironic tone criticises their descent, as it implies their savagery is justified through the illusion of enjoyment. The use of the plural pronoun ‘we’ll’ also suggests a shared experience and decision-making, reinforcing the idea that the boys are acting as a unit, not individuals. Meanwhile the contraction of ‘we’ll’ (instead of ‘we will’) presents their violence as something inevitable, almost preordained, perhaps reflecting that their cruelty becomes normalised and justified in their lawless system.
“The officer looked at him in astonishment… I should have thought that a pack of British boys… would have been able to put up a better show than that.”
The officer’s disappointment, wrapped in irony, underscores the failure of the boys to live up to the imperial ideals of British civility. The phrase ‘better show’ trivialises the boys descent into savagery, as though it was merely a failed school performance. The officer, representing the adult world, appears oblivious to the true horror of what has happened- highlighting Golding’s view that even civilisation is blind to its own undercurrent. It is also ironic to note that he described them as a ‘pack of British boys’, where the adjective ‘pack’ connotes to hunting dogs, yet when coupled with the noun ‘boys’ suggests that they are innocent and youthful to the brutality they have achieved.
