Flies Objectives To review key moments in the novel which represent the boys descent into savagery To revise the main characteristics and representations of the key characters Descent into Savagery The Main Events ID: 531139
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Slide1
Lord of the Flies
Objectives:
To review key moments in the novel which represent the boys’ descent into savagery
To revise the main characteristics and representations of the key charactersSlide2
Descent into Savagery – The Main Events
1. The boy with the birthmark talks about the ‘beastie’
2. Jack paints his face and does a war dance 3. A ship passes the island, but the fire’s out 4. Jack challenges Ralph’s authority and goes off alone, soon joined by the other boys 5. Jack and his gang kill a pig and put the head on a ‘stick sharpened at both ends’ Slide3
Descent into Savagery – The Main Events
6. Simon is killed by the other boys
7. Jack’s gang steal Piggy’s glasses, leaving the others without fire 8. Piggy’s death following Ralph’s gang’s attempt to reason with Jack 9. Sam and Eric are forced to join Jack’s tribe – they tell Ralph that Roger has ‘sharpened a stick at both ends’ 10. Jack’s gang hunt Ralph downSlide4
Lord of the Flies -
Key Characters
Remember that
the maximum
age of the boys is 12 Slide5
Appearance
Background
Relationships
with others
CharacterTall, blonde hair, athletic.Confident,seems to be a
good leader.Father a Naval officer.
Piggy and others look up to him, friendly with Jack.Ralph profileSlide6
Ralph – Key Points
Does he represent the good in mankind?
He is the epitome of the stereotyped protagonist –tall, fair-skinned, blonde hair, blue-eyed (ironically Aryan featured).
He and Jack are binary oppositions of one another.
Elected leader, but not forceful enough to maintain the position.He is eventually reduced to the status of outcast, who must flee for his life.An idealist and a dreamer – it is Piggy who does all of the thinking for him.At the end of the novel he is a disillusioned realist, who now sees the world and its inhabitants for what they really are.Slide7
Appearance
Background
Relationships
with others
CharacterFat, asthmaticand short-sighted.Orphan, liveswith aunt.Different
accentto others.Intelligent and
sensible –teaches Ralph how to blow the conch, suggestsmaking a listof names.Fears Jack, is taunted by others because of nickname.Piggy profileSlide8
Piggy – Key Points
Piggy is the stereotypical ‘victim’ in the novel – overweight, fat, asthmatic and short-sighted. His presence initially makes the other boys either wince or make fun of him.
He is represented as being of a lower class than the other boys, and consequently speaks and acts differently.
Ironically, he is the boy who speaks the most sense – he is intelligent, thoughtful and able to reason and hypothesise.He is a paternal figure who looks after and supports the little’uns.
He becomes a wise counsellor who supports Ralph’s attempts at democratic, parliamentary rule.He increasingly finds himself at odds with Jack, a person who he instinctively fears and loathes – it is Jack’s subordinate Roger who crushes Piggy with the boulder.Note how sight is metaphorically and literally associated with Piggy.Slide9
Appearance
Background
Relationships
with others
CharacterLeader of thechoirboys.Thin, red hairand freckles, meanexpression.
Dominates the choir. LikesRalph but takes an immediatedislike to Piggy.
Bossy and rude – ordersthe choir about.Jack profileSlide10
Jack – Key Points
Is he meant to represent the worst in people?
His physical appearance serves as a warning sign – the flame red hair, the pale face that blanches with displeasure.
He is used to taking up a leadership position – first leader of the choir, he becomes leader of the hunters. He is responsible for splitting the group – he does this by terrorising them and offering them a tempting life of hunting and plenty of meat.
His leadership results in a dictatorship, where he rules ‘his’ tribe with fear.Jack is a spontaneous individual who wants instant gratification for his desires.He doesn’t think through the consequences of his actions (as Ralph does), but puts himself first at all times.He is amoral and only enforces the sense of justice that he feels is right. Slide11
Appearance
Background
Relationships
with others
CharacterKind and helpful. Introverted –doesn’t like to speak in assemblies. Likes nature.
Loyal towards Piggy and Ralph.Looked on as strange by the other boys.
Small, physicallyfrail, black hair and bright eyes.Simon profileChoirboy.Slide12
Simon – Key Points
He is a dark, mystical who the other boys find ‘odd’ or ‘queer’.
He goes barefoot and is an isolated figure – Golding deliberately makes Simon a Christ-like figure, the analogy is not coincidental.
He is helpful and cooperative, and the only boy to help Ralph build the shelters.It is interesting that he is one of the three boys who initially explores the island (with Jack and Ralph – would we overtly notice that he’s there?)
He has a marked physical weakness in that he appears to suffer from epilepsy (also associated with prophetic qualities).He has a high level of intuitive intelligence and this allows him to confront the boys’ fears about the ‘beast’An original member of the choir, he is ultimately killed by the choir in a ritual frenzy (murder/ manslaughter?)Slide13
Appearance
Background
Relationships
with others
CharacterRoger profile
Is a choirboy.
Quiet and secretive. Cruel – enjoyspicking on thelittluns. Black hair, gloomy face.Allied with Jack.Slide14
Roger – Key Points
He is mysterious, secretive, slight and
furtive
.As Jack’s lieutenant, he comes to think like Jack and does not question the consequences of his actions.His name literally means ‘famous with a spear’He is a sadist who delights in inflicting pain – he is unnecessarily cruel in the sow killing incident.
Is he the logical extension of Jack’s character?He prepares the stick ‘sharpened at both ends’ to mount Ralph’s head.Slide15
Setting and Atmosphere
The setting for the novel is a traditional paradise island – an Eden-like Utopia upon first glance – it is interesting that this is soon superseded by the ‘darkness of man’s heart’, causing the island to become a Dystopian prison – reflected in the description.
The island is initially
unspoilt
by man – it is important that the passenger jet makes the first ‘scar’ across its surface (the corruption of mankind). Slide16
Setting and Atmosphere - Contrasts
The lagoon – warm and safe VS The cold open sea
The mountain – high place where rescue can be seen, provides truth and clarity VS The Castle Rock – a jumbled mix up with a dark cave in the
centre. The origin of the destructive fire. The beach – a safe place, the location of meetings, familiar, tame VS The jungle – wild and unknown – the ‘beast’ originates from here.Slide17
Weather
This is highlighted in importance during major scenes.
Note that when Simon is murdered there is a tumultuous thunderstorm outside.
Golding uses day and night to emphasise the feelings of the characters – binary oppositions. Slide18
Style – How Golding Communicates His Story
The story itself is a deceptively simple analogy
For style, you should consider how Golding manipulates the following:
- Vocabulary, the words, the use of colour- Syntax – the length and structure of sentences – note how this is different for each character. Does this change when the action is speeded up?- Imagery – use of simile metaphor, personification – why does Golding use these techniques? How do they enhance atmosphere?Slide19
Finding the Deeper Message
Lord of the Flies undoubtedly has a deeper moral message. Consider, with a partner, the following questions:
- Apart from Jack and Percival, why are the other characters not given surnames?
Why do no girls or adults survive the crash?Why is the passenger tube dragged out to sea once it has ejected the boys – could it have provided food/ shelter?Why is the island so isolated in the sense that so few ships pass by?If it is isolated, how do two fighter planes come to be fighting over it to allow the parachutist to land on the island?
Where do the pigs come from?Why is Piggy the only one with glasses and the only one to go to public school?Slide20
Symbolism – using things or people to represent ideas
- Often symbols found in LOTF can be traced back to the Bible or Greek mythology
- In Greek mythology FIRE is a symbol of KNOWLEDGE
- Both fire and knowledge can HELP and HARM - ‘The Beast’ – physically the head of the sow, the name ‘Lord of the Flies’ translated into Hebrew is ‘Beelzebub’, another term for the devil.Slide21
The Beast – A Symbol that Evolves Gradually
Chapter 1: Initially the choir are likened to an animal as they come across the sand
Chapter 2: The fire is compared to a ‘snake’. The snake is the devil in the GOE, but fire also represents knowledge – is this Golding saying the knowledge is a double edged sword?
Chapter 5: Beast from Water – the boys complain that they think there is a beast in the seaSlide22
The Beast – A symbol that evolves gradually…
4. Chapter 6: Beast from Air – the dead parachutist lands on the island, taking over the place where their rescue fire is – a symbol of their aspirations.
5. Chapter 7: The boys set off up the mountain to try to find the beast – note that Simon absents himself from this because he knows he’s going to have a ‘fainting fit’. Had he been there, they would have discovered the truth.Slide23
The Beast – A Symbol that Evolves Gradually
6. Chapter 8: The killing of the pregnant sow – the murder of the future. Simon has his hallucinatory fit.
7. Chapter 9: Simon discovers the truth and shows mercy by freeing the dead parachutist from his cruel animation. He is later killed in the group’s ritual, whilst attempting to reveal the truth to them.
8. Chapter 10: The savage tribe are now ‘the beast’ and they begin their first assault by stealing Piggy’s glasses (symbolic of truth and wisdom). In Chapter 11, Piggy is killed by Roger and Chapter 12 sees the decision to hunt Ralph down – the group are finally the physical embodiment of the beast.Slide24
Other Symbols
The Conch – Democracy and democratic
freedom/Power
The Huts – CivilizationFire – Hope/ Rescue