Lotf Themes and Quotes Flashcards
Themes in LOTF?
- Civilisation and Savagery
- Power (and abuse of power)
- Nature of Man (inherent evil)
- Violence
- Fear
- The Beast
- Friendship
- Loss of innocence
- Struggle to build civilisation
- Dangers of Mob Mentality
- War and Future of mankind
Quotes for when Civilisation stood
“Roger’s arm was conditioned by civilisation”
“We’ve got to have rules and obey them, after all we are not savages”
“This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch”
“Invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life”
“Unbearable blood”
- Conch
- Ralph
- Piggy and his glasses
- Assemblies
- Desire to have rules
Quotes for the breaking of civilisation :
“Brilliant world of hunting, tactics” vs “There was a world of longing and baffled common sense”
“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What are grown-ups gonna think?”
“That understandable and lawful world, was slipping away”
“Rules are the only thing we’ve got!”
“Are we savages or what?”
“Bollocks to the rules”
Quotes for the full descent into savagery (breaking of civilisation) :
“the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments… ceased to exist”
“The desire to squeeze and hurt was overmastering” Ralph
“Savage who carried a spear”
“Awesome stranger” Jack
- Murder of Piggy
- Murder of Simon
- Breaking of Conch
Quotes for Power and the Abuse of Power :
“Roger advanced, wielding a nameless authority”
“Authority sat on his shoulder and chatted in his ear like an ape”
“Seat” “Throne” “Sat there like an idol”
“Assimilating the possibilities of irresponsible authority”
Quotes for Human Nature :
“Darkness of man’s heart”
“Mankind’s essential illness”
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe its only us”
“The mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness”
- Original Sin
- Ego superego and id
- War around them? Parachutist?
Quotes for the boy’s Violent nature :
“Unbearable blood” vs “Lashings of blood”
“Kill the pig, cut her throat, spill her blood”
“Roger sharpened a stick at both ends”
“Tearing of teeth and claws”
“That was Simon… That was murder”
“Right up her ass!”
“We’ll use a littlun” (for practice for killing a pig)
- Murder of Piggy
- Murder of Simon
- Rape like murder of Sow
Quotes for the boy’s Fear :
“A snake thing” “A beastie” “I saw something move in the trees” “Its some sort of ghost”
“The vivid horror of this, so possible and nakedly terrifying, held them all silent”
“Maybe, there is a beast”
“Claws” (correlates with them in a frenzy killing Simon) (so they are the beast)
“Samneric lay looking up in quiet terror”
- Beast
- Eachother, Jack
Quotes for the Beast :
“What I mean is… Maybe its only us.”
“You’ll only meet me down there”
“The vivid horror of this, so possible and nakedly terrifying, held them all silent”
“You knew didn’t you? I’m part of you!”
”This seemed the breaking up of sanity”
“A snake thing” “A beastie” “I saw something move in the trees” “Its some sort of ghost”
Quotes for Friendship :
“they looked at each other, baffled, in love and hate.”
“True wise friend called Piggy”
”
Quotes for Loss of Innocence :
“smiled jeeringly” At beginning, when Ralph realised he could explore island
“Darkness of mans heart” A conclusion an innocent boy would not come to, further emphasising how his innocence was lost
“We did everything adults would do, what went wrong?” Tried to do everything right but still led them down a path in which their innocence was lost
“He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling” Symbolic for descent into savagery. Dancing…
“Anonymous devils” NOT INNOCENT
“Simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea” Innocence leaving the island
Quotes for Struggle to build civilisation :
“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?”
“Brilliant world of hunting, tactics” vs “There was the world of longing and baffled common sense”
“Bollocks to the rules!”
- Failure of assembly
- Inherent Evil
- Fear from beast
- Jack
Quotes for Dangers of Mob Mentality :
“Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood.”
“At once the crowd surged after it” Simon getting killed
“Jack slammed his knife into a trunk and looked round challengingly”
- Murder of Simon
- Murder of Piggy
- Murder of Sow
Ideas about War and Future of mankind
The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible.” Its harmless because it can’t physically hurt them, however its a reminder of the violence and savagery in the outside world - grown ups also have savagery, and without rules it is expressed, and the dead parachtist is a physical reminder to the boys that everyone has “innate evil
