Lord of the Flies by William Golding

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Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Analysis

Chapter 1

· Golding establishes immediately the contrast between the savage and

the civilized that exists in this new environment for the boys. Freed

from adult authority and the mores of society, Ralph plays in the

beach naked, a practice commonly associated with uncivilized cultures.

Ralph does not panic over the children's abandonment on the island,

but rather approaches it as a paradise of freedom in which he can play

happily, he shows this by standing on his head. Though Ralph doesn`t

notice that children aren`t able of maintaining themselves without the

help of adults. Ralph believes that his father (who is a commander in

the navy) is going to save them. This raises the important question

about what influence will cause his believe to collapse. By believing

that his father will save them Ralph shows a tendency to escape from

reality.

· The first sign of disturbance within the seemingly tranquil island

is the appearance of Jack and his choir. Golding portrays Jack and his

compatriots as militaristic and aggressive, with Jack's bold manner

and the choir marching in step with one another. They are the first

concrete entrance of civilization onto the island and a decidedly

negative one. Jack seems a physical manifestation of evil: with his

dark cloak and wild black hair, he gives a slightly Satanic

impression. But he also has a silver cross, which shows an element of

goodness. Jack is a decided military authoritarian, with a lust for

power. He orders his choir, who follow him blindly, as if they were

troops, allowing room for neither discussion nor dissent.

Significantl...

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...an outcast to define themselves against him. We also see the

instinctive hate between Piggy and Jack in the beginning of the book.

Piggy has a habit of cleaning his glasses when he feels uncomfortable.

· We also see Simon coming into the picture. We see that he is very

weak physically, but later on in the book we see how mentally strong

he is, he is the one with the cleanest conscience at the end of the

book. (Very important see description of Simon- pg 29 of book).

· The other major facet introduced indicating civilization is the

establishment of property and the connotations of ownership. Ralph

gains status from his possession of the conch shell, which gives him

the authority to speak when the boys come together. Also, when he

surveys the island from the summit of the mountain he states that it

"belongs" to them.

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