War, and the future of mankind

Question 1

“So they had shifted camp then, away from the beast. As Simon thought this, he turned to the poor broken thing that sat stinking by his side. The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible.”

Answer 1

• Parachutists acts as a reminder of the instability and violence that exists in the world beyond the island
• Harmless as it is dead

Question 2

“Didn’t you hear what the pilot said? About the atom bomb? They’re all dead.”

Answer 2

• Golding places the action of his novel directly after a detonation of an atomic bomb
• A prediction of what future societies would look like after global war

Question 3

“And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, 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.”

Answer 3

• Ralph weeps because what he saw on the island was a microcosm of the world at large
• Ralph’s hopes for fairness and civility destroyed
• He rightly realises that people like Piggy – individuals averse to violence, and prone to thoughtfulness – have no place in any future social order