LOTF exam: english; significant passages(quotations!), symbols, and mix/match allegory

The Signal Fire:

-the smoke of the signal fire symbolizes the best hope of the boys being rescued -to Piggy and Ralph the fire represents the moral influence of their old life in England

Sam and Eric:

-they are the last to remain loyal to Ralph and they represent the tug-of-war within us to remain good (turn on Ralph when tortured by Jack's tribe)

Piggy's Specs:

-they symbolize the voice of reason and logic among the boys. A symbol of intelligence and education. -notice how Piggy defends his glasses even more than the conch. Piggy uses his glasses to find solutions to the boys' problems.

Jack:

-this character represents the destructive forces in society: ruthless and evil, he plays on the fears of the group to pain power over them. Rather than help society, he wants to dominate it. (red hair = destruction, color red = warning not good)

Ralph:

-this character represents the law-abiding hardworking citizen who works for the good of the group and has faith that everything will turn out all right in the end if the proper rules are obeyed by everyone (fair hair = his fair way of life; wants good)

Simon:

-this character represents the mystic, spiritual leader of philosopher who functions on a higher plane than the rest of society. He simply "knows" things-- but is unable to communicate his knowledge to the others. (simply knew Ralph would live but he would not, straight black hair)

Littluns:

-"littluns" -- the younger kids -Represent the common folk, who easily follow the lead of others into savagery when there is no enforced structure in society

Face Paint:

-face paint is the excuse many of the boys use for living as hunting savages, instead of civilized English citizens -it serves as a mask that allows the boys to become someone they are not

Pigs:

-it illustrates the line of aggression which becomes more and more dominant in the course of events -thus it is a symbol of Jack's leadership; the pig-runs and the dances around the fire show the upcoming madness which leads to slaying of innocents in the boys' mystic rituals -the first killing of a pig also foreshadows Piggy's death. his nickname Piggy contains the word "pig." he is killed by the hunters like a pig.

The Island:

-symbolizes "isolation" and serves as the perfect backdrop for the frailties of human nature which eventually surface (frailties = weaknesses, issues)

The Conch Shell:

-symbolizes law and order of the adult world; democracy -represents the authority the boys are so used to obeying -when Roger destorys it physically under Jack's reign; anarchy takes over because any hope of strong, central leadership has been abandoned

The Lord of the Flies:

-symbolizes the power of evil and the evilness in the boys (and in humanity) -the head is called "Lord of the Flies" which is a translation of the word Beelzebub *name of the devil in the bible* -The Lord of the Flies is connected with the symbol of the pig (or rather, the head of a pig.) it is a symbolic dramatization of human evil.

Piggy:

-the character stands for the intellectual who tries to solve problems with logic and reason. Because he is considered "different" by the others, they pay little attention to him and he is ineffective despite his intelligence.

The Parachutist:

-the dead body flying in the parachute symbolizes the end of adult supervision (Ralph wanting a sign from the grownups that night, this sign shows that the macrocosm has their own issues) -Simon has a special connection with the parachute man when he climbs the mountain to determine if the parachute man is still alive (Simon freeing the parachutist and tries to tell boys they don't have anything to worry about)

The Scar:

-the scar is where the plane crashed; it symbolizes destruction -time spent on the island also leaves a scar -the boys destory themselves and others leaving internal scars

psychological allegory Piggy: Jack: Ralph:

Piggy: superego (whats right vs. wrong) Jack: id (instinctual needs and wants, impulsive decisions) Ralph: ego (considers reality and balances the needs of id and superego)

(chapter 7) He would like to have a bath, a proper wallow with soap. He passed his tongue experimentally over his teeth and decided that a toothbrush would come in handy too. Then there were his nails— Ralph turned his hand over and examined them. They were bitten down to the quick though he could not remember when he had restarted this habit nor any time when he indulged it. "Be sucking my thumb next—"

Significance: Ralph misses the hygiene of his civilized days. The stress of being a leader has caused him to bite his nails. He is digressing to the habits of his early childhood, ones that civilization discourages in children.

(chapter 11) Suddenly Jack bounded out from the tribe and began screaming wildly. "See? See? That's what you'll get! I meant that! There isn't a tribe for you any more! The conch is gone—" He ran forward, stooping. "I'm chief!" Viciously, with full intention, he hurled his spear at Ralph. The point tore the skin and flesh over Ralph's ribs, then sheared off and fell in the water. Ralph stumbled, feeling not pain but panic, and the tribe, screaming now like the chief, began to advance. Another spear, a bent one that would not fly straight, went past his face and one fell from on high where Roger was. The twins lay hidden behind the tribe and the anonymous devils' faces swarmed across the neck. Ralph turned and ran. A great noise as of sea gulls rose behind him. He obeyed an instinct that he did not know he possessed and swerved over the open space so that the spears went wide. He saw the headless body of the sow and jumped in time. Then he was crashing through foliage and small boughs and was hidden by the forest

Significance: Jack is happy that Piggy and the conch have been destoryed, rendering Ralph without allies. Ralph resorts to animalistic instinct in the struggle to survive.

(chapter 11) Silence and pause; but in the silence a curious air-noise, close by Ralph's head. He gave it half his attention—and there it was again; a faint "Zup!" Someone was throwing stones: Roger was dropping them, his one hand still on the lever. Below him, Ralph was a shock of hair and Piggy a bag of fat.

Significance: Roger, at the start of the book, threw pebbles at Henry, knowing civilzation would disapprove if he actually hit a littun. Now, Roger is ready to release a boulder that will kill another boy. Roger has failed to recognize Piggy and Ralph as humans and instead sees them as targets. (Roger's view = Ralph as hair and Piggy as fat)

(chapter 7) "I'm going up the mountain." The words came from Jack viciously, as though they were a curse. He looked at Ralph, his thin body tensed, his spear held as if he threatened him. "I'm going up the mountain to look for the beast—now." Then the supreme sting, the casual, bitter word. "Coming?" At that word the other boys forgot their urge to be gone and turned back to sample this fresh rub of two spirits in the dark. The word was too good, too bitter, too successfully daunting to be repeated. It took Ralph at low water when his nerve was relaxed for the return to the shelter and the still, friendly waters of the lagoon. "I don't mind." Astonished, he heard his voice come out, cool and casual, so that the bitterness of Jack's taunt fell powerless. "If you don't mind, of course." "Oh, not at all." Jack took a step. "Well then—" Side by side, watched by silent boys, the two started up the mountain.

Significance: Jack is trying to undermine Ralph's authority, by trying to paint Ralph afriad and himself as the brave one. Ralph surprises himself by staying calm and in control. The boys are aware of the power struggle between Ralph and Jack. ("coming" = like a dare, English boys polite manners)

(chapter 10) Then there was a vicious snarling in the mouth of the shelter and the plunge and thump of living things. Someone tripped over Ralph and Piggy's corner became a complication of snarls and crashes and flying limbs. Ralph hit out; then he and what seemed like a dozen others were rolling over and over, hitting, biting, scratching. He was torn and jolted, found fingers in his mouth and bit them. A fist withdrew and came back like a piston, so that the whole shelter exploded into light. Ralph twisted sideways on top of a writhing body and felt hot breath on his cheek. He began to pound the mouth below him, using his clenched fist as a hammer; he hit with more and more passionate hysteria as the face became slippery. A knee jerked up between his legs and he fell sideways, busying himself with his pain, and the fight rolled over him. Then the shelter collapsed with smothering finality; and the anonymous shapes fought their way out and through. Dark figures drew themselves out of the wreckage and flitted away, till the screams of the littluns and Piggy's gasps were once more audible.

Significance: Jack, Maurice, and Roger raided the hut to steal Piggy's glasses. Fighting and confusion ensues, sacring the littluns and destroying the hut. Golding uses animalistic language to describe the scene. (most littluns = in Jack's camp, few littluns = in Ralph's camp)

(chapter 5) "Because the rules are the only thing we've got!" But Jack was shouting against him. "Bollocks to the rules! We're strong—we hunt! If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down! We'll close in and beat and beat and beat—!" He gave a wild whoop and leapt down to the pale sand. At once the platform was full of noise and excitement, scramblings, screams and laughter. The assembly shredded away and became a discursive and random scatter from the palms to the water and away along the beach, beyond night-sight. Ralph found his cheek touching the conch and took it from Piggy. "What's grown-ups going to say?" cried Piggy again. "Look at 'em!" The sound of mock hunting, hysterical laughter and real terror came from the beach. "Blow the conch, Ralph." Piggy was so close that Ralph could see the glint of his one glass. "There's the fire. Can't they see?" "You got to be tough now. Make 'em do what you want." Ralph answered in the cautious voice of one who rehearses a theorem. "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."

Significance: Piggy and Ralph care about rescue, but Jack does not prioritize it. Piggy laments the boys' lack of maturity and still worries about what grown-ups would think of their behavior. The hunters' "mock hunts" fill the hunters with glee, but terrify the littluns. Ralph realizes that the boys are so riled up they will not respond to the conch, so he refuses to blow it in this moment, as he knows failure to respond to the conch would mean the end of their democracy.

(chapter 5) "Life," said Piggy expansively, "is scientific, that's what it is. In a year or two when the war's over they'll be travelling to Mars and back. I know there isn't no beast—not with claws and all that, I mean—but I know there isn't no fear, either."

Significance: Piggy believes that everything in life can be scientifically explained. Because the beast has not been seen, it can't be real. Piggy does not fear what he cannot see, and he has a hard time understanding the fear of the unknown in others. (Piggy black and white thinker, rational)

(chapter 11) Here was the crushed grass where they had all lain when he had gone to prospect. There was the neck of land, the ledge skirting the rock, up there were the red pinnacles. . . Piggy peered anxiously into the luminous veil that hung between him and the world. "Is it safe? Ain't there a cliff? I can hear the sea." "You keep right close to me." Ralph moved forward on to the neck. He kicked a stone and it bounded into the water. Then the sea sucked down, revealing a red, weedy square forty feet beneath Ralph's left arm. "Am I safe?" quavered Piggy. "I feel awful—" High above them from the pinnacles came a sudden shout and then an imitation war-cry that was answered by a dozen voices from behind the rock.

Significance: Piggy is worried for his safety. The rock foreshadows Piggy's fall onto the same rock. The "veil" obscures Piggy's vision of the situation in which he finds himself. The color red foreshadows that danger that befalls Piggy. (Piggy and Ralph are climbing up the rocky ramp up to the top of Castle rock; top of rock = Roger getting ready to release boulder.)

(chapter 11) "What can he do more than he has? I'll tell him what's what. You let me carry the conch, Ralph. I'll show him the one thing he hasn't got." Piggy paused for a moment and peered round at the dim figures. The shape of the old assembly, trodden in the grass, listened to him. "I'm going to him with this conch in my hands. I'm going to hold it out. Look, I'm goin' to say, you're stronger than I am and you haven't got asthma. You can see, I'm goin' to say, and with both eyes. But I don't ask for my glasses back, not as a favor. I don't ask you to be a sport, I'll say, not because you're strong, but because what's right's right. Give me my glasses, I'm going to say—you got to!"

Significance: Piggy thinks the conch still has power, and he doesn't understand that Jack's tribe no longer vaules it. Piggy is empowered by the conch, and he believes they will listen to reason. He does not understand that Jack's ability to reason is a thing of the past.

(chapter 7) "Someone's got to go across the island and tell Piggy we'll be back after dark." Bill spoke, unbelieving. "Through the forest by himself? Now?" "We can't spare more than one." Simon pushed his way to Ralph's elbow. "I'll go if you like. I don't mind, honestly." Before Ralph had time to reply, he smiled quickly, turned and climbed into the forest.

Significance: Simon is always willing to do the things others won't. He is probably the only boy who is unafraid to wander the jungle ALONE at NIGHT. (Simon kinda believes that the "beast" is the boys themselves)

(chapter 5) "I'm scared of him," said Piggy, "and that's why I know him. If you're scared of someone you hate him but you can't stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he's all right really, an' then when you see him again; it's like asthma an' you can't breathe. I tell you what. He hates you too, Ralph—" "Me? Why me?" "I dunno. You got him over the fire; an' you're chief an' he isn't." "But he's, he's, Jack Merridew!" "I been in bed so much I done some thinking. I know about people. I know about me. And him. He can't hurt you: but if you stand out of the way he'd hurt the next thing. And that's me."

Significance: Piggy understands Jack's true nature as a bully. He knows that Jack won't directly attack someone with as much power as Ralph, but that he might try to hurt Piggy and undermine Ralph in that way. Ralph is intimidated by Jack's power and does not realize he holds as much as Jack. (Piggy sits in the shade all day; can't swim --> so he thinks about how afaird he is of Jack)

(chapter 10) Piggy's voice trailed off at the sight of Ralph's face. "You were outside. Outside the circle. You never really came in. Didn't you see what we—what they did?" There was loathing, and at the same time a kind of feverish excitement, in his voice. "Didn't you see, Piggy?" "Not all that well. I only got one eye now. You ought to know that, Ralph." Ralph continued to rock to and fro. (little kid habit) "It was an accident," said Piggy suddenly, "that's what it was. An accident." His voice shrilled again. "Coming in the dark—he hadn't no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty. He asked for it." He gesticulated widely again. "It was an accident." "You didn't see what they did—" "Look, Ralph. We got to forget this. We can't do no good thinking about it, see?" "I'm frightened. Of us. I want to go home. Oh God, I want to go home." "It was an accident," said Piggy stubbornly, "and that's that."

Significance: Ralph and Piggy are realizing the reality of the island, and they understand what happened was wrong. Piggy is making excuses to justify their actions, while Ralph grapples with the possibility of murder. Piggy has never experienced the bloodlust that the other boys have, so he has to believe it was an accident. We see that in addition to biting his nails, Ralph has now regressed to comforting himself by rocking in the fetal position, another habit civilization stripped himself of a long time ago. (Ralph gets it though he has experienced the bloodlust)

(chapter 7) Simon was speaking almost in his ear. Ralph found that he had rock painfully gripped in both hands, found his body arched, the muscles of his neck stiff, his mouth strained open. "You'll get back to where you came from." Simon nodded as he spoke. He was kneeling on one knee, looking down from a higher rock which he held with both hands; his other leg stretched down to Ralph's level. Ralph was puzzled and searched Simon's face for a clue. "It's so big, I mean—" Simon nodded. "All the same. You'll get back all right. I think so, anyway."

Significance: Ralph is anxious, realizing they might never get home. Simon is optimistic and comforts Ralph. Simon seems assured that Ralph will get home, but he does not mention that anyone else will. --> (You'll) (Simon working with some type of knowledge that Ralph doesn't have)

(chapter 11) They set off along the beach in formation. Ralph went first, limping a little, his spear carried over one shoulder. He saw things partially, through the tremble of the heat haze over the flashing sands, and his own long hair and injuries. Behind him came the twins, worried now for a while but full of unquenchable vitality. They said little but trailed the butts of their wooden spears; for Piggy had found that, by looking down and shielding his tired sight from the sun, he could just see these moving along the sand. He walked between the trailing butts, therefore, the conch held carefully between his two hands.

Significance: Ralph is leading the way for them to confront Jack and get Piggy's specs back. The twins carry their spears, armed for a confrontation. They are unwittingly leading Piggy to his death. The theme of loss of vision is evident here. Not only can Ralph not see well because of the heat and his hair, but he is unsure of how he should proceed in the confrontation. He cannot clearly see a way to resolve the boys' issues. Piggy's vison, which has always been centered upon rationality, is no longer clear, as he has been blinded. He hangs onto the conch like it's a security blanket. (conch's power and security only in Piggy's mind of the conch)

(chapter 5) Again he fell into that strange mood of speculation that was so foreign to him. If faces were different when lit from above or below—what was a face? What was anything? Ralph moved impatiently. The trouble was, if you were a chief you had to think, you had to be wise. And then the occasion slipped by so that you had to grab at a decision. This made you think; because thought was a valuable thing that got results. Only, decided Ralph as he faced the chief's seat, I can't think. Not like Piggy.

Significance: Ralph is realizing that he cannot think or make decisions like Piggy. He lacks hope and security as a leader. He does not feel qualified to sit in the "chief's seat." One theme is the importance of "vision," and Ralph realizes that his is confused. (Piggy has grown up vision, something that the other boys do not have)

(chapter 11) Eric made a detaining gesture. "But they'll be painted! You know how it is." The others nodded. They understood only too well the liberation into savagery that the concealing paint brought. "Well, we won't be painted," said Ralph, "because we aren't savages." Samneric looked at each other. "All the same—" Ralph shouted. "No paint!" He tried to remember. "Smoke," he said, "we want smoke." He turned on the twins fiercely. "I said 'smoke'! We've got to have smoke."

Significance: Ralph is wary of wearing paint, as he understands it's a door to savagery. He is forgetting the goal of rescue, and he knows he needs to hang onto it to avoid becoming savage like Jack.

(chapter 7) By now, Ralph had no self-consciousness in public thinking but would treat the day's decisions as though he were playing chess. The only trouble was that he would never be a very good chess player. He thought of the littluns and Piggy. Vividly he imagined Piggy by himself, huddled in a shelter that was silent except for the sounds of nightmare. "We can't leave the littluns alone with Piggy. Not all night." The other boys said nothing but stood round, watching him. "If we went back we should take hours." Jack cleared his throat and spoke in a queer, tight voice. "We mustn't let anything happen to Piggy, must we?"

Significance: Ralph knows he must do what he thinks is right. He is compassionate toward the littluns back at camp, and he is worried about Piggy. Ralph knows that it's important to think strategically in this moment, but he also realizes that strategic thought is not his strength. (Piggy's strength = strategic thoughts) Jack's comment is sarcastic and a veiled threat to Piggy.

moral allegory Simon: Piggy: Jack: Ralph

Simon: soul Piggy: intellect Jack: emotion Ralph: common sense

(chapter 5) "What I mean is. . . maybe it's only us." Simon went on. "We could be sort of. . . " Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express mankind's essential illness. Inspiration came to him. "What's the dirtiest thing there is?" As an answer Jack dropped into the uncomprehending silence that followed it the one crude expressive syllable. Release was immense. Those littluns who had climbed back on the twister fell off again and did not mind. The hunters were screaming with delight. Simon's effort fell about him in ruins; the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenseless to his seat.

Significance: Simon understands the boys are the problem, but they are unwilling to listen with maturity. Their laughter proves Simon's point about their reckless behavior. (Jack makes a fart noise)

(chapter 7) All at once, Robert was screaming and struggling with the strength of frenzy. Jack had him by the hair and was brandishing his knife. Behind him was Roger, fighting to get close. The chant rose ritually, as at the last moment of a dance or a hunt. "Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!" Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering. Jack's arm came down; the heaving circle cheered and made pig-dying noises. Then they lay quiet, panting, listening to Robert's frightened snivels. He wiped his face with a dirty arm, and made an effort to retrieve his status.

Significance: The boys are in a frenzy, trying to hurt Robert. They see Robert as a "piece of flesh," rather than a human they have been living with on the island. Robert realizes it's important to "retrieve his status" before coming a target once more. This is the first moment we see Ralph feel the bloodlust the hunters have displayed. (--> departure for Ralph)

(chapter 5) Ralph peered at the child in the twilight. "Now tell us. What's your name?" "Percival Wemys Madison. The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Hants, telephone, telephone, tele—" As if this information was rooted far down in the springs of sorrow, the littlun wept.

Significance: The boys are losing their grip on reality and past civilzation. His lack of memory reinforces the extent of their time on the island. Percival cries because memories of the past are slipping away. He knows he should be able to recall this information, and the fact that he can't upsets him. (Percival wails in the night sometimes, he cries a lot)

(chapter 10) Piggy took back his glasses and looked at the smoke with pleasure. "If only we could make a radio!" "Or a plane—" "—or a boat." Ralph dredged in his fading knowledge of the world. "We might get taken prisoner by the Reds." Eric pushed back his hair. "They'd be better than—" He would not name people and Sam finished the sentence for him by nodding along the beach.

Significance: The boys don't have an updated knowledge of what's happening in the world at large. Piggy still hopes for technology that can save them. Eric fears the enemy in the macrocosm less than he fears Jack. It is fitting that Jack's face is now painted red, echoing the enemy in the world at large. (microcosm, macrocosm) (Red scare = paranoid of USSR in the nation)

(chapter 10) "I don't know. He didn't say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He's been"—he giggled excitedly—"he's been tied for hours, waiting—" "But didn't the chief say why?" "I never heard him." Sitting on the tremendous rock in the torrid sun, Roger received this news as an illumination. He ceased to work at his tooth and sat still, assimilating the possibilities of irresponsible authority. Then, without another word, he climbed down the back of the rocks toward the cave and the rest of the tribe. The chief was sitting there, naked to the waist, his face blocked out in white and red. The tribe lay in a semicircle before him. The newly beaten and untied Wilfred was sniffing noisily in the background. Roger squatted with the rest. "Tomorrow," went on the chief, "we shall hunt again." He pointed at this savage and that with his spear. "Some of you will stay here to improve the cave and defend the gate. I shall take a few hunters with me and bring back meat. The defenders of the gate will see that the others don't sneak in."

Significance: The boys in Jack's new tribe are amused by Wilfred's treatment. Roger realizes that they have no rules or accountability for their behavior, and he's excited by that possibility. The boys have lost their empathy for one another. Golding's labels of the boys as "chief" and "savages" hint at their loss of indentity, loss of innocence, and descent from civilization. Jack's face is even blocked out by red and white face paint.

(chapter 10) "I got my knee up," said Eric with simple pride, "and I hit him with it in the pills. You should have heard him holler! He won't come back in a hurry either. So we didn't do too badly." Ralph moved suddenly in the dark; but then he heard Eric working his mouth. "What's the matter?" "Jus' a tooth loose." Piggy drew up his legs. "You all right, Piggy?" "I thought they wanted the conch." Ralph trotted down the pale beach and jumped on to the platform. The conch still glimmered by the chief's seat. He gazed for a moment or two, then went back to Piggy. "They didn't take the conch." "I know. They didn't come for the conch. They came for something else. Ralph—what am I going to do?"

Significance: The boys only cared about fighting, forgetting the conch--expect for Piggy. Jack's crew no longer cares about the conch, as it holds no power for them. (Ralph understands that he was hitting Eric but doesn't tell Eric because he is so proud of his fighting)

(chapter 10) "He came—disguised. He may come again even though we gave him the head of our kill to eat. So watch; and be careful." Stanley lifted his forearm off the rock and held up an interrogative finger. "Well?" "But didn't we, didn't we—?" He squirmed and looked down. "No!" In the silence that followed, each savage flinched away from his individual memory. "No! How could we—kill—it?" Half-relieved, half-daunted by the implication of further terrors, the savages murmured again. "So leave the mountain alone," said the chief, solemnly, "and give it the head if you go hunting." Stanley flicked his finger again. "I expect the beast disguised itself." "Perhaps," said the chief. A theological speculation presented itself. "We'd better keep on the right side of him, anyhow. You can't tell what he might do."

Significance: The boys want to forget that they killed Simon; they are in denial. They understand what they did, but Jack's insistence that the beast is a shapeshifter absolves them of guilt. Jack has to keep the beast "alive" to maintain his power. (Half-relieved = boys relieved they may have not killed Simon, half-dauted = know that if the beast is a shapeshifter that Jack could basically call any of the boys the beast)

religious allegory (chapter 8) Simon: Piggy: Jack: Ralph:

Simon: deep spirituality Piggy: pure intellectual Jack: evil corruption Ralph: everyday man

social or political allegory Simon: Piggy: Jack: Ralph:

Simon: humanism Piggy: technology Jack: dictatorship Ralph: fair and democratic government

different types of symbolism;

social/political, religious, moral, and even psychological

allegory

a form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, actions are equated with the meanings outside the narrative itself. Thus an allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning

mix/match allegorys: moral, political, religious, psychological

all the next flashcards:

(dont need to memorize symbols) above flashcards are significant passages; quotations on exam!

but know them;