From the beginning of Lord of the Flies, Roger has been described as a “furtive boy… with an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy” (22). Throughout the book, he doesn’t really stay with the group, but prefers working alone. The name ‘Roger’ has French origin and means “famous spear” or “famous fighter” which leads to Roger’s violent tendencies and his ease of hurting others. William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, doesn’t tend to stray from stereotypes within the book, such as a smart blonde or a rich, lazy immigrant. Instead, he exemplifies them, using Jack as a hot-head because of his red hair and displaying Roger as a covert sadist because he keeps to himself. Roger can mainly be outlined as dark, unsociable, with a bad …show more content…
For example, on pages 188-189, Samneric showed how fearful they are of Roger, “You don’t know Roger. He’s a terror― And the chief― they’re both― terrors― only Roger―.” The discussion ended there when someone began climbing up the wall to check on Samneric, leaving ‘only Roger’ hanging in the air, a heavy blanket of foreboding. On page sixty-two, Jack calls Roger’s name. Once Roger looks up, “a darker shadow crept beneath the swarthiness of his skin. Also, at the end of chapter eleven, “Roger edged past the chief (Jack), only just avoiding pushing him with his shoulder.” These are subtle suggestions that Roger has a problem with Jack. Golding also reveals Roger through his actions. One page 135, Roger brutally murders a sow by sticking a spear straight up her hind end. He and the other boys proceeded to laugh about it saying, “Right up her ass!” Beforehand, Roger was indifferent, poking anywhere he had the chance, “Roger ran round the heap, prodding with his spear whenever pig flesh appeared… Roger found a lodgment for his point and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream” …show more content…
From the start, Roger was portrayed as a quiet character, barely muttering his first name in chapter one. His courage and bravery give him the power to fearlessly hunt pigs and guard Castle Rock. Roger’s strength provides him with the opportunity to threaten the other boys, with supplies him with his authority. His weakness, however, is how quickly he became a savage and let go of civilization completely. The boys weren’t on the island for a month; two weeks at most, and all except for Samneric, Ralph, and Piggy lost their sanity and
By examining Roger’s character in Lord of the Flies, I believe that Roger is a symbolic representation of someone who is losing respect for human life and what it has to offer. In the novel Roger does not seem to appreciate others, causing him to act in a disrespectful way towards the other boys and seems to enjoy other people’s pain. This shows that people in society will do negative actions that will affect others, because they are losing respect for human life.
Roger struggled with anger issues and with expressing his feelings, yet he managed. Roger was well known for his physicality with other kids at school once he returned from the island. Similarly to what we saw on the island, Roger showed no sympathy. An example of this is observed when Golding writes: "round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law." (p.60). This quote represents how Roger feels no remorse for his actions, and does not have much respect for the law. Surprisingly, however, these traits work out in Rogers favor as he saves his cousin's life 20 years after he saved Jack’s on the island. Golding writes: “Ralph stood to face them, his spear ready. By him stood Piggy still holding out the talisman, the fragile, shining beauty of the shell. High overhead, Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever.” (p.180). Roger let that rock go to save a threatened Jack. Roger did this in a sense of self-defense, not anger. Roger did the same for his cousin who was being attacked one night by gang members on a walk back from dinner. Roger saw his cousin was cornered and acted quickly to save his cousin by whacking the gang members with a pipe, Killing them both. Roger’s cousin was untouched. Although Roger has lethal tendencies from time to time, he uses
When the boys first landed on the island, Golding describes Roger in the quote, “There was a slight, furtive boy whom no one knew, who kept to himself . . . He muttered that his name was Roger and was silent again,” (Golding 14) Roger wasn’t really one of the bolder boys and was timid at the beginning, when they had first landed on the island. He says his name quietly and that is all to be heard of shy little Roger. Roger is also the one who suggests having a vote to pick a chief, ending the argument between Ralph and Jack and coming up with a solution that is more sophisticated than other options. When they are trying to light a fire, Roger says “‘You make a bow and spin the arrow,’ . . . He rubbed his hands in mime,” (Golding 32). This indicates that Roger knows about how to survive and that he is slowly coming out of his shell, the transition to savagery has begun.
Roger has shaped his identity throughout the book by doing actions to form his new cruel, violent identity. Roger has done things such as throw and release rocks at two boys, and then viciously hunting a pig and killing him.
None of them would typically think that terrorizing a young boy would be okay, but there was nothing holding them back from being cruel. We are all taught from when we are little to be nice, polite, and follow the rules. All of that is taken away on the island, resulting in cruelty. Both Roger and Ralph were struggling to to get closer and to be more involved in the situation. Ralph wouldn’t normally do things like this but Roger has been cruel from the beginning. This only proves that they are both the same, we are all the same, and that we are
How are the characters of Ralph, Jack and Piggy established in the opening chapters of the novel Lord of the Flies At the start of the novel we learn that during a nuclear war, there was an atomic explosion. Many boys were evacuated on an aircraft with a detachable passenger tube. They were flying over tropical seas via Gibraltar and Addis Ababa when the tube was released and crashed-landed in the jungle of an island. The aircraft flew off in flames and overnight the remains of the tube were swept out to sea in a storm.
Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding in 1954 about a group of young British boys who have been stranded alone together on an island with no adults. During the novel the diverse group of boys struggle to create structure within a society that they constructed by themselves. Golding uses many unique literary devices including characterization, imagery, symbolism and many more. The three main characters, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack are each representative of the three main literary devices, ethos, logos, and pathos. Beyond the characterization the novel stands out because of Golding’s dramatic use of objective symbolism, throughout the novel he uses symbols like the conch, fire, and Piggy’s glasses to represent how power has evolved and to show how civilized or uncivilized the boys are acting. It is almost inarguable that the entire novel is one big allegory in itself, the way that Golding portrays the development of savagery among the boys is a clear representation of how society was changing during the time the novel was published. Golding is writing during
Roger bully’s all of the boys on the island. In chapter 4, Roger and Maurice came out of the forest and decide to bully the younger boys by ruining their sandcastles, “Roger led the way straight through the castles, kicking them over, burying the flowers, scattering the chosen stones” (Golding 62). This shows that Roger best demonstrates the beast within because, Roger gets pleasure from bullying the other boys. Roger gets a discomforting satisfaction when he pains others, only a true beast would get a satisfaction from causing harm to others. In the end of the novel where Jack’s tribe was on a man hunt for Ralph, Roger wants to cut off Ralph's head and sacrifice it to the Beast, “Roger sharpened a stick at both ends” (Golding 21). This quote is saying that, Roger is getting ready to behead Ralph. He wants to stick Ralph’s head on one end of the stick, and the other end in the ground so the beast can take it as a sacrifice. This quote shows that Roger is craving the suffering of others, this shows Roger’s psychopathic tendencies, as he wants to have a sacrifice so he can live. Roger may just sacrifice any boy on the island so he can remain alive, so he can have the power. Roger might even sacrifice Jack so he could claim the chief position. In chapter 8, Jack’s tribe went on a hunt and found a sow nursing her piglets. The boys need food, so they kill the pig, but Roger takes it a step further, he
Roger is a dynamic character because he changes his behavior when the substitute teacher comes in and she is way more strict and Roger gets better at spelling. Rogers problem is that he hates the substitute teacher and wants the old teacher to come back sooner. Roger handles the problem by just listening to the teacher and not saying anything. Rogers parents were stricter than Laurie’s parents but Roger never really had problems at school. Roger learns that the teacher did help him and that sometimes it is good to actually learn something once and a while instead of just playing all of the time. And the theme of this story is sometimes being serious pays
He shows his power in many way, although the need for power was ultimately developed by fear. Fear of being alone on an island, and the fear of never being rescued. He had to hide from his true self, not being able to accept the nature he had adapted, behind a "mask", to stay "liberated from shame and self consciousness" (Golding 64). Jack's method of dealing with this fear is power. The new group that Jack formed gave him power, the control over a group of boys that would have to follow his command. Jack was the provider for the boys, and in time of survival, one always looks up to the person that can provide food and warmth. Jack's next savage act was the hunt. Jack's group of hunters was not simply hunting for food and survival. They were fighting the devil that was controlling their emotions and state of being. Jack and his hunters did not simply kill the pig. They raped it. After they had chased the sow like bloodthirsty savages, Roger grapples his spear and stabs the stick "right up her ass" (Golding 135) The bloodlust had completely taken over Roger and his state of being, and the satisfaction in toying with one's mangled body overpowered him. Roger's "desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering" (Golding 114-115). Roger's love of murder and violence made him a center of Jack's tribe, giving him a "leadership" role in the group of savages, whose desire was to kill,
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.
Importance of Leadership Leadership is something that stands out in people. In a group, people tend to look for the strongest person to follow. However, the strongest person may not be the best choice to follow. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph and Jack each have leadership qualities. Jack is probably the stronger of the two; however, Ralph is a better leader.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a peculiar story about boys stranded on an island, and the plot and characters relate to many prevailing events and problems. A specific problem that is currently occurring is the mutual hatred and enmity between North Korea and South Korea. This is a current event, but the North and South’s hostility has been ongoing since 1945, when Korea was split into North and South, Communist and Capitalist. When the 38th parallel(Border between North and South Korea) was created, Kim Il-Sung ruled the North, and Syngman Rhee ruled the South. As of now, a power hungry dictator, Kim Jong-un rules the north, and an optimistic president who wants to see change was recently elected in the South, named Moon Jae-in. In Golding’s book, Ralph is a character who aimed to keep everyone alive and to stay together. Jack on the other hand, wanted to have fun and hunt, and although he also wanted to be rescued, he made no effort to help. In this sense, North Korea is a clear representation of the character Jack and his quest for power, and opposingly, South Korea is a representation of Ralph and his strive for order, democracy, and civilization.
Is everybody born purely good inside? Or are we all filled with certain amounts of good and evil? In Lord of the Flies by William Golding a plane full of school boys lands on a deserted island, killing all the adults. With no adult supervision or civilization the boys descend back into the madness and savagery that is human nature. In Lord of the Flies by william Golding his character Simon uses spiritual power by finding out what the beast really is, showing how he failed to warn the others, how his use of the power affected the book as a whole, and how spiritual power is in the real world.
Much of history’s most renown literature have real-world connections hidden in them, although they may be taxing uncover. William Golding’s classic, Lord of the Flies, is no exception. In this work of art, Golding uses the three main characters, Piggy, Jack, and Ralph, to symbolize various aspects of human nature through their behaviors, actions, and responses.