Lord of the Flies Background, Quotes, Symbols
in LOTF, the fallen or the debased aspects of man and his intense sufferings are
interlinked
the island symbolizes
isolation from society, independency, loss of society and civilization, having to create own culture
where did Simon's dead body go?
it was washed out to sea
the boys use masks to cover their identities, and this allows them to
kill and later murder
jack symbolizes the
know it all, savage, his choir is his army, desire for power, instills fear in others, has to have a mask to fulfill his hunting desire
Golding's novels reflect a deep interest in
mankind
often times Prometheus is presented as the creator of
mankind
piggy symbolizes
meant to be Prometheus (Greek myth) science and intellect, rescue, kids that are bullied, hopeful of rescue, rational, Superego complex
LOTF deals with the
moral ambiguity and fragility of civilization
Simon's allegory is
natural human goodness (Jesus Christ)
Golding does not practiced
one distinct religion
Ralph's allegory is
order, leadership, and civilization
by placing the boys on an island where the primary goal is survival, Golding investigates the
primal factors involved in creating society
who prayed that the beast would prefer littluns?
ralph
in Golding's world, there is no perfect
redemption
Golding concerned himself with the philosophy of all
religions of the world
Golding was one of the most
religious novelists of the age
without civilization, humans can
revert to a more primitive part of their nature
ritual of the hunt allows the boys to
revert to their primitive selves
huts represent
safety, simon building them like Jesus
Jack's allegory is
savagery and the desire for power
Piggy's allegory is
scientific and intellectual aspects of civilization
the characters in general represent
society/human nature
piggy's glasses symbolize
somthing used to make a fire, represents science and logic, he wipes them off when he's nervous, cauos ensues when glasses break
the fire symbolizes
source of hope and destruction, teamwork, burns high = connection to civilization, burns low = become savages, rescue
Golding was often called a
spiritual cosmologist
while piggy tries to introduce reason to his savage companions in the end, he embraces a
terrible fate (death)
the boys in LOTF believe in the right of domination ("it belongs to us") due to
the English history of conquering lands in Africa and India and attempting to impose their culture on the people and lands
when the author discuss how the boys are English and therefore entitled, he is making commentary on
the English tendency to dominate and be pretentious
Jack and the Choir Boys are like an army as they march military style and are dressed in all black. This could be foreshadowing
the Nazis
Ralph and Piggy remain together for
the entire novel and first appear together
ralph symbolizes
the leader, someone looking for adventure, wants to have fun on the island, order and reason, rational, leadership, ego complex
one of the deepest meanings of the story is the recognition that no real beast exists, that there is only
the power of fear
the older boys' allegory is
the ruling class and political leaders
the conch symbolizes
the sound of unity, authority
darkness represents
the unknown, fear of the unknown
civilization separates man from the animals by teaching him to
think and make choices
the point of view is
third person omniscient
the beast symbolizes
unknown, inner evil of all men, LOTF, world and its evil, irrational fear, thought it was a snake, a sea creature, then Simon, the beast is within us
Pigs symbolize the
vessel that contains man's savage desires
the beach symbolizes
where rescuing/assembly occurs, safety/unity, where they build huts
the island and the boys represent
world and war
"And the conch doesn't count at this end of the island"
~Jack
"We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything."
~Jack
"Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!..."
~LOTF to Simon alone in the woods
"What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What's grownups going to think?..."
~Piggy
"You're a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!"
~Ralph to Jack after Jack stole Piggy's glasses
"What I mean is....maybe it's only us"
~Simon as he proposes that the beast is only the boys themselves, he is the first character to see the beast not as an external force but as a component of human nature
"I'm frightened. Of us. I want to go home. Oh God, I want to go home."
~ralph after simon had been killed
who discovers the parachutist for what it really is?
Simon
the climax of the novel is when
Simon encounters the LOTF in the forest and realizes that the beast is not a physical entity but rather something that exists within each boy on the island
the lord of the flie's promise to have some "fun" with Simon foreshadows
Simon's death
LOTF was published in
1954
the lord of the flies represents
Bazelbub, Satan, the devil
Golding's voice was not that of a traditional or orthodox
Christian
He combined pagan and
Christian myths
who is it that always talks about returning home to civilizations and rules
Piggy
who is the voice of sanity and reason
Piggy
who's hair never seemed to grow
Piggy
the myth of ___________ is used as a central theme in Golding's novels
Promethus
who starts to bite his nails as a habit?
Ralph
William Golding joined the
Royal Navy in 1940
two people forced to join Jack's tribe are
Sam and Eric
Bazelbub =
Satan
the LOTF represents
Satan
some say that LOTF is an allegory of
WWII
who wrote LOTF
William Golding
who rescues the boys?
a British navy officer
the only sort of thread that unites his novels is
a fundamental pessimism about humanity
what is an allegory
a story or poem that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning
Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with
age but is related to a person's understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all.
Jack leads
authoritarian power
the shape of the island represents
boat-shaped, the journey the boys will take, ironic because they want a boat to escape the island
Roger's allegory is
brutality and bloodlust
roger symbolizes
brutality, bloodlust, psychopath, the punisher, bodyguard of Castle Rock
another theme includes someone who is blind who sees more
but is not seen or recognized by those around him (often considered a fool, Piggy)
Simon represents Jesus as he functions as a
carpenter while making the huts on the beach, he works while others play
the obvious of the themes is man's need for
civilization
Golding often makes broad use of allusions to
classical literature, mythology, and Christian motifs
Golding's novels are often set in
closed communities such as islands, villages, etc
the littluns' allegory is
common people
painted faces and long hair are both used to
conceal identity/plague reality (illusion vs. reality)
the dead parachutist represents
connection to war (it is NOT the beast)
the "scar" is the
crash site of the plane, "this belongs to us" ownership, British imperialism, have impacted physically untouched island
Ralph leads
democratic power
Jack is like a
dictator as the leader of the choir
as a modern man, Golding could not afford to follow any
established religion
Golding portrays the modern man as a
faithless, God-defying utilitarian
Prometheus stole
fire from Zeus, presented it to mankind, and is not just a symbol of aspiring humanity but suffering humanity as well.
LOTF was Golding's
first novel
forest symbolizes
good and evil, the unknown, where pigs are killed, represents violence, illness, and savagery
simon symbolizes
has fainting spells, natural human goodness (Jesus)
Roger's obsession with throwing stones at littluns foreshadows
his murder of Piggy by launching a boulder down Castle Rock
castle rock symbolizes
how Jack and his tribe segregate themselves from the others, savagery takes place here, separation from society
face paint symbolizes
how Jack and his tribe transform into savages, disguise of identity, Jack can't kill the pig before he uses face paint
the mountain symbolizes
how the boys climb obstacles, hope for rescue as they build their fire
stick sharpened on both ends symbolizes
how the tribe intends to kill Ralph and stick his head on a stick like they did to the pig, irony, Ralph's fate, primitive form of execution
Golding's experience in WWII had a profound effect on his view of
humanity and the hurt it was capable of
in LOTF, nature is shown to be
indifferent to humanity's existence
the main theme of LOTF is that man is
inherently evil and needs the structure of civilization (laws and order) to command him. Even civilized nations cannot restrain themselves from savagery