Symbolism Flashcards
The smaller boys were known now by the generic title of “littleuns”.
Indicates the weak position of younger ones/ the general population. Power lies with very few people. The rest are bundled into one category.
“I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.”
The boys need order and authority on the island, like they had in school. Therefore, they establish the conch as a symbol of this to control the boys and retain a sense of society.
The mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack had liberated from shame and self-consciousness.
What small semblance of civility Jack had has been obliterated by his hunting mask.
Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express mankind’s essential illness.
Change this
The others nodded. They understood only too well the liberation into savagery that the concealing paint brought.
The danger of the face paint is that it can start the descent into savagery.
The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.
The destruction of the conch symbolises the end of authority and civilisation on the island.
“If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued.”
If the conch no longer works, then it signals the end of authority and order on the island. Ralph is cared to blow it because then he will know that the inevitable has happened.
“This head is for the beast. It’s a gift.”
The head is meant to be a gift for the beast, but later becomes a manifestation of the beast itself. Violence and savagery make the beast real.
His head opened and stuff came out and turned red.
Sounds childlike and is a reminder of how young the boys are, even if they are not innocent. Also sound unintelligent, which suggests that with the death of Piggy, all rational and scientific thinking on the island has disappeared.
