Death is always present in one's life and is looming in the corners of our mind as a bystander. It waits for one's own demise or for the foul deed of witnessing a person's inner evil come out of its usually permanent state of hibernation and take the life of another. The fear of death or even the desire to control death can transform someone into a savage like being who tries to play death and use it to satisfy a craving within themselves.Within Lord of the Flies, William Golding does exactly that by having givenven very symbolic meaning to the murders of the boys on the island and uses their demise to display that even those who would deem innocent in nature, have a dormant evil within them that is capable of coming out and taking over one'se …show more content…
In the beginning pigs were hunted to provide meat and substance, but there would be a shift where the boys would kill pigs not out of necessity but out of pleasure.The deaths of pigs by the hunters showed a sadistic side to the boys who realized how much power they had in the ability to take the life away from a creature. They also put a lot of trust into Jack, who acted as a provider and an authority figure who would keep them safe from the supposed “beast”. William Golding was very particular with the names of the boys because Jack's name in Hebrew means both supplanter and provider, someone who overthrows power and provides. This was very fitting because Jack takes the position of head hunter and provides meat for the boys but he also overthrows Ralph and creates his own tribe. One particular scene where “Apart from the rest, sunk in a deep maternal bliss, lay the largest sow of the lot. She was black and pink; and the great bladder of her belly was fringed with rows of piglets... The boys shouted and rushed forward; the piglets scattered and the sow burst through into the forest.” (134) Later in that same scene the boys would murder the sow and sodomize her which not only represents a sadistic side but show the cruelty the boys had towards a mother figure because now the piglets are alone on the island having to fend for themselves just as the boys on the island are with no authority figure to look over them. This is a big shift from the start of the novel where Jack wasnt able to kill a baby pig and to justify not doing it he claimed “ I was choosing a place. Next time-!. He snatched the knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would be no mercy” (31) Howvere, once Jack finally was able to kill a pig the idea of being able to take the life of a living organism and impose your autrohity over it would drive him and the others to
The early pig hunt “has been relatively innocent,” (Johnston 12-13) yet to reveal the deeper meanings. Johnston suggests that the existence of pigs leads the boys into hunting in order to satisfy hunger. On the other hand, it highlights and reveals the true danger that lies inside each individual, and to Jack, this loss of innocence only pulls him into evilness more profoundly. Soon after his second attempt in hunting, which turns out to be a success, chantings of "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood." (Golding 96) become popular among the boys. Since the idea of hunting pigs and eating meat appear attractive to the boys, they begin to admire Jack's new skill as suppose to judging for his aggressive behaviors. Merridew, however, fails to recognize that his actions come at the cost of an emerging savagery-like affiliation. At the same time, his original identity as a choirboy with “voices [like]... the song of angels” (Golding 191) slowly subsides from his character. Compared to hunting, the angelic voice does not increase the chances of survival, thus its significance becomes subordinate to that of hunting. From the first encounter with the pig to the complete loss of innocence, adult figures are also responsible for his unsubtle
On the other hand, Golding tries to show the evil within man through Jack. Jack is a character in which he almost symbolizes cruel political leaders, such as Castro, Hussein, Hitler, etc. He is the leader of the hunters, the first time they find a pig, Jack stops, and couldn't kill the pig. That revealed how Jack was civilized, yet later on he would kill the pig without hesitation. "'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.
Humans have an instinctual response, emotionally and physically, on fear towards danger or any unpleasant situation. When one is not in their right, conventional state, they become too concentrated towards the danger in front of them, thus leading to vicious outcomes. These may affect the person himself or to the one he is in opposition to. Fear stimulates the lost of individualism and encourages a group mentality to one another. The book “Lord of the Flies”, written by William Golding, manifests fear all throughout the book which directly triggers the savage acts the boys commit themselves . When one is scared, they are prone to create groups to disperse the fear and accompany it, or in the case of Simon’s death, the loss of individualism, a creation of a group mentality, is an and
The portrayal of the pig demonstrates his rationality of being a chaotic savage. He tends to cover up his actions with reasoning that only deems to be true through the eyes of insanity. “He rubbed the charcoal stick between the patches of red and white on his face [...] A rounded patch of sunlight fell on his face and a brightness appeared in the depths of the water. He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger. He split the water and leapt to his feet, laughing excitedly.”(Golding 63). There is no room for civilization on the island, and Jack takes advantage of this opportunity. Jack, compels himself to distance himself from social normalities through the exterior of the world. The paint on Jack’s face represents his cover up to society and to make himself believe that he is doing the right thing. Consequently speaking, Jack desperately desires confirmation of his actions from one of his peers. However, none of his peers condone of these certain actions, so, he relies on the tangible aspects of life to give him a sense of comfortability. “All that makes sense to him is his own need to control others and impose himself, and hunting, because it is a kind of power assertion” (Lord of the Flies, Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretations). On the island, Jack’s role is the leader of the hunting party. Although, this seems
The theme of death in Lord of the flies in Lord of the flies is wasn’t written as violent and graphic as it could have been but instead Golding portrayed death in much more childish way that makes it all the more terrifying. For example during the death of Simon the inhabitants of the Island Chanted: “kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! “. This made the tragic murder of Simon seem to be a game and not an atrocity, this attitude towards murder should terrify the reader because if they view murder as a game what would the view mass murder or genocide as?
Momentarily after Piggy was killed, his limbs “twitched” like a “pig’s after it has been killed” (181). Comparing Piggy to an actual pig reveals how the savages are beginning to hunt and kill each other like they are pigs. Additionally, having Piggy’s name be Piggy was a foreshadow to this moment, where there was no difference between him and an actual pig prey. Likewise, the tribe “watched Ralph to see what he would do next” after the twins were tied up (179). Here, Ralph is portrayed almost as a wild animal that the savages are observing and just waiting when to pounce on him. In addition to this, after the conch was smashed, Jack “viciously” hurled his spear at Ralph “with full intention” (181). This implies that Jack is hunting Ralph, like he is the new pig. Ralph is his next prey, now that Piggy, his last prey, is dead. Lastly, through all of his frustration, Ralph accused Jack of being a “beast and a swine,” suggesting that through trying to stop and kill the beast, he has let out his inner darkness and become the beast, yet developed the qualities of a pig at the same time (179).
This is evident when Jack wants to put people in punishment if somebody breaks the rules (32). His desire to punish people shows his love of power and dominance. It also reveals that Jack could have been like one of the ambitious leaders in the past history. Another sign of becoming a savage in the society is showing an act of disrespectful to another neighbour, including Piggy. This reveals when Jack mocks Piggy by telling him, “Shut up, Fatty” (17). It also happens when Piggy condemns Jack for “[letting] the fire out”, although Jack makes a promise to “keep the smoke going” (75). However, he became so violent, so angry that he “smacked Piggy’s head” (75). Some of the uncivilized members of the society use their selfish desires, which is not aiming for the common good. For instance, Jack tells Ralph that he successfully “cut the pig’s throat” (73). He said, “There was lashing of blood…you should have seen it!” (73). This suggests that Jack is more concern about hunting rather than getting rescued. Jack, as a savage, uses his ambitious power to put people in punishment, his rude attitude to hurt people, and his way to care more about himself than others. This character greatly exemplifies a savage in the society, but another important symbol that makes a novel an allegory is the
The passage from chapter 9 from the novel “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding has a theme of the journey of death which is portrayed through imagery and the use of vivid diction. The passage shows the events occurring after Simon dies and how the effect and portray the tone. The tone of serenity is portrayed in the passage showing that how after Simon’s death the mood and tone pulls in a state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled in the air. Simon's death is one of the greatest misfortunes in William Golding's “Lord of the Flies”, both because of who he is and how he dies. Simon is the character who is most sensitive and represents the best part of human nature. He is the only boy who recognizes the true beast on the island which is them. When he frees the parachutist, the beast from the air, he is displaying a consideration which he is not given. In these final paragraphs, it seems that Golding is mourning the loss of civilized behavior.
Piggy had an appetite to be needed and accepted as a person in the boys' society. Jack had to kill a pig; he saw no other way.
Ralph, the first character introduced to the audience, is probably the most likable character in the entire story. Although he does not ponder such deeply like Piggy, is not as spiritual like Simon, or as energetic as Jack, there is something in him that attracts the audience. Ralph serves as the protagonist of the story. He is described as being a playful, innocent child in the beginning, but towards the end he matures significantly. In the first chapter where he takes his clothes off and goes swimming like any child would do, he seems to be Adam in the Garden of Eden, a child left to play with the nature.
People are privileged to live in an advanced stage of development known as civilization. In a civilization, one’s life is bound by rules that are meant to tame its savage natures. A humans possesses better qualities because the laws that we must follow instill order and stability within society. This observation, made by William Golding, dictates itself as one of the most important themes of Lord of the Flies. The novel demonstrates the great need for civilization ion in life because without it, people revert back to animalistic natures.
Jack and his hunting boys went off to try and kill a pig, and successfully did so. As Roger violently killed the pig, the blood poured all over Jack’s hands. Jack then “giggled and flicked them while the boys laughed at his reeking palms” (Golding 195). Jack enjoyed playing in the blood of the pig that he and the boys slayed. This shows how quickly Jack changed from a young, polite boy to a violent and sadistic savage. After Robert was used as a pig in the boys’ game of hunting, the boys thought that the game was extremely enjoyable and that they would do it again. After Robert was seriously injured, he says to the boys, “‘You want a real pig because you’ve got to kill him.’ ‘Use a littlun,’ said Jack, and everybody laughed” (Golding 165). In other words, Jack suggests that they should literally kill a littlun so that the boys can reenact what happened when they killed a pig. Before, Jack could not bring himself to even kill a pig. But after staying on the island, he was able to not only kill a pig, but he also even suggested on killing an innocent child for
Golding shows the drastic change in the boys’ behavior using symbolic dialogue and the characters’ actions. At the beginning of the story, Ralph puts Jack in charge of hunting so the boys can eat some meat. Jack finds a pig while hunting, yet he cannot kill it, his reason being, “because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting living flesh; because of the unbearable blood” (31). Because of the strictly regulated society Jack has grown up in, he finds it disturbing to kill an animal, even if he must do it to have food.
Throughout the novel the idea of death seems to show up when the characters are either doing something that is not really who they are or it seems to be used as a way to describe the narrator’s subconscious knowledge or self. Also,
Jack begins the novel partially innocent, cruel enough to yell at the boys yet pure enough to hesitate when faced with the task of killing the pig. Jack obtains the tools necessary to kill the pig, yet claims to need help cornering the animal. Jack, not truly needing help to kill the pig but rather needing the support provided by the mob mentality, acquires the support of his choir and together the boys hunt and kill the pig, all the while chanting, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood”...