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A literary analysis of "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Character analysis of lord of the flies
Character analysis of lord of the flies
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In Lord of the Flies, there are many characters, objects, and events that display the fact that when rules in society are absent, chaos is present. Within these events and objects are examples, which lead us to believe that absence of rules destroys organization and structure within the boys. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the conch shell, the fire, the beast, Simon’s death, and Piggy’s death to show that without rules in society, there will be chaos.
Golding uses the conch shell to display the idea that without rules in society, there will be lots of chaos. The conch is a symbol of authority and lack of communication. When holding the conch shell, Ralph decides: “Ill give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking” (Golding 33). The boys knew that they needed to have some sense of authority and structure within themselves so they used the conch shell to portray who had authority at the time. It is used as a speaking tool; whichever boy was in possession of the conch in that particular moment was the one who was allowed to speak. This system of individualistic decision-making did not turn out to be something that worked out for the best. The conch was not the only semi-controlling decision they made; they also wanted to have one selected person to be in charge. When discovering early chaos and a sense of disorganization, Ralph says: “Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things” (Golding 32). The boys need to figure out a way to be organized and try to create in a sense, a government to run things smoothly on the island. They decide to elect a “chief” to be in charge of things. The conch shell symbolizes a sense of authority in the group and helps the boys decide ...
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...island with no rules, no parents, and no controlled government. Simon’s death gives us the idea that the innocent English boys turned into savages without any set laws of restrictions. They had to let go of everything they previously knew and make do with what they had, which is extremely difficult when there is a group of people running around freely being allowed to do whatever they want without any rules. Piggy’s death shows lack of respect and equality. Piggy was in the same position as all of the other boys and just because he was not an authority figure, did not mean that he had to get picked on. Without parents, the boys could do whatever they wanted to do and with no rules Piggy became the center of their torture, causing chaos on the island and also causing his tragic death. All of these examples are proof on how without rules in society, chaos is ramped.
The conch is used as an indicator of meetings when the conch is blown, the boys know to meet at the platform for an assembly. Ralph calls the boys to an assembly by sounding the conch shell, “By the time Ralph finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded.” (Golding 32) At the sound of the conch, the boys on the island immediately head towards the platform for a group assembly. The conch shell is seen to the boys as a symbol of power that should be obeyed. An assembly can only be called with the sound of the conch, the meeting will be held at the place where the conch is. Despite Ralph being the official leader of the tribe, his authority to call meetings lies within the symbol of the conch shell. The conch shell becomes a vital part of the assemblies. The power to speak during a meeting is determined by whoever is holding the conch shell. As the group of boys all start to talk at once Ralph suggests, “We can’t have everybody talking at once…,” in which he establishes, “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” (Golding 33) The rule is put into place by Ralph, in an attempt to create order among the group during assemblies. (Al-Khlaifate 49) Ralph is, “…symbolically representing the function and the rule of the democratic participation in a civilized society.” (Al-Khlaifate 47) With Ralph as a leader, the group is
The conch shell represents democracy, power, and stability. When Ralph first discovers the conch shell, Piggy proposes to Ralph that they, “.can use this to call the others. Have a meeting with us. They’ll come, when they hear us” (16) and that was the birth of the conch shell. Throughout meetings that are held at the beach, the conch is used as a “speaking stick”.
At the beginning of the novel, Ralph and Piggy discover a conch shell on the beach and use it to summon the boys together after the crash separates them. The conch shell becomes a symbol of civilization and order in the novel. The shell initially is a successful way of governing the boys’ meetings, following simple etiquette—whoever is holding the shell has the right to speak. The shell acts as more than a symbol, it is a tool...
Katherine Paterson once said, “To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.” William Golding, who is a Nobel Prize winner for literature, writes Lord of the Flies, originally published in 1954. Golding’s novel is about a group of boys who crash land on an island. All of the adults are dead and they are abandoned on an island. The boys try to set rules and create a fire in efforts of being rescued. The group of boys chooses Ralph to be their leader. This choosing makes a literary character named Jack, who doesn’t show his anger until half way through the plot. The novel shows the nature of humans and how fear can control them. The novel also shows the difference between good and evil. Golding experienced this when he was in World War II. There were many times fear controlled the boys in the island in Lord of the Flies.
The author, William Golding uses the main characters of Ralph, Jack, and Simon in The Lord of the Flies to portray how their desire for leadership, combined with lack of compromise leads to the fall of their society. This desire for leadership and compromise led to the fall of their society just like multiple countries during times of wars.
A part of human nature is inherently chaotic and “barbaric.” These natural impulses, however, are generally balanced by the human desire for leadership and structure. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding discusses what may happen in a scenario in which there is a lack of societal structure and constraints. Golding wants the reader to understand that humans have an innate desire to be primitive- describing it as “mankind 's essential illness”- that is usually suppressed by an equal desire for order. Under extreme circumstances, humans may revert back to their most basic impulses that they usually keep suppressed due to social norms. Throughout the book, the boys’ primitive behavior is heightened by their lack of a leader and, eventually, their
One of the main themes in William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies is that without civilization, there is no law and order. The expression of Golding's unorthodox and complex views are embodied in the many varied characters in the novel. One of Golding's unorthodox views is that only one aspect of the modern world keeps people from reverting back to savagery and that is society. Golding shows the extreme situations of what could possibly happen in a society composed of people taken from a structured society then put into a structureless society in the blink of an eye. First there is a need for order until the people on the island realize that there are no rules to dictate their lives and take Daveers into their own hands. Golding is also a master of contrasting characterization. This can be seen in the conflicts between the characters of Jack, the savage; Simon, the savior; and Piggy, the one with all the ideas.
In the novel “Lord of the Flies” there are several symbols of interpretations in terms of meaning. The beast within the novel, “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding was never a monster, however neither was it really human (Shmoop). On a stranded island alone with no adults to look below the bed or look within the closet, there are sure to be ghosts and monsters roaming amongst the forest woods, and from the very start this belief of some monster hiding within the darkness is unfolded around the whole pack. One of the little boys claims that "the beasty only come out in the dark." (LOTF) All of the boys, have no one to shield them from their nightmares and fears of the night terrors or any monster that will really be on the island. Suddenly the vision of some furious monster has been seeded in everyone's mind.
In the novel “Lord of the Flies” the author William Golding sets out to demonstrate what can happen when good clashes with evil, or in this case the Civilized versus the Savage. He selected two individuals to represent each group. Jack represented the savage and Ralph represented the civilized. As the novel progressed their priorities became clearer. Ralph wanted to be rescued and Jack wanted to kill. Due to their personality clashes, later in the novel series of unfortunate events occur at the end of the novel. It can be learnt that the rules and laws that guide us are there for a reason. To teach us the difference right and wrong and keep us behaved.
In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding presents a conch shell representing the order of civilization. He uses this symbol to effectively portray the theme that humans are inherently evil and have savage desires, shown through the decline from discipline and peace among the boys on the deserted island. In the novel, civilization directly correlates to the boys’ past lives in England. Before coming to the island, there were adults present who maintained order by enforcing rules and punishing those who did not follow them. However on the island, the conch, representing this society, is a powerful object that demands the respect of the boys in a similar way that the adults do. As time passes, the conch’s influence over the boys weakens and ultimately all forms of civilization are rejected.
that a chief is necessary from the conch and from then on he uses it
Lord of the Flies by William Golding Through his writing in the book Lord of the Flies, William Golding's view on. nature is not as in the plant and tree kind of nature, but in the nature of man at a young age of life. Golding is trying to portray what instincts and desires are like at an early time in a man's life when there are no adults around to help shape those. feelings to fit in with the mainstream society that people live in everyday. The nature of man is any and all of the instincts and desires of a person or animal.
The conch shell symbolizes the law and order among the children who trapped in the deserted tropical island. It is used to call the groups of the boys to assembly in a certain place. Ralph, the chief and the central leadership of the group is responsible to take care the conch. The conch shell represents the authority which the boys must obey. The conch is an instrument like a trumpet blowing to order the boys. Finally, the conch shell is broken down into pieces and the leadership is torn down and abandoned. The atmosphere of the island society collapses into chaos and no longer peace remind.
At the beginning of Lord of the Flies, the boys create a democratic government. As the story progresses, the initial democracy on the island is ignored, and a dictatorship rises in its place. This dictatorship fails to keep the boys in order. The author, William Golding, shows that without the institution of a strong government and set of rules people will become impulsive and seek instant gratification. In the absence of order, people tend not to become disciplined of their own accord, but rather dissolve into destructive chaos.
The conch represents order on the island, as it is what brings the group together throughout the majority. So it would be logical to say that the breaking of the conch (181) shows how all social order is lost, which is why the boys go on to kill Piggy and try to kill Ralph without guilt or shame. The boys need this catalyst to bring them together as a civilization with social order .Ralph’s character as a whole is similar in this regard. Ralph represents order on the island because he is the main person trying to uphold it, he constantly tries to make the civilized and orderly decisions for the group. Therefore, it could be stated that Ralph’s loss of control over the boys (148-154) represents how the group loses social order as well. The boys need social order to guide them to make the right and civilized decisions. Lastly, the navy sailor that arrives to rescue the boys at the very end of the story. The arrival of this sailor represents the return of social order and civilization on the island. This is implied by Golding from the reactions of the boys, they cry and sob due to the sudden realization that they’ve all been committing horrible acts. All of these symbolisms in the story show how Golding is trying to imply that man needs social order to truly feel the weight of his/her