Transcript Lord of the Flies - La Habra Theater Guild

Lord of the Flies
Background Information
You may want to consider
taking some notes…
Now would be a good time to start
that note-taking thing…
Just a suggestion. What do I know?
I’m just the teacher.
William Golding
• Born in Cornwall, England in 1911
• He studied English and physics at Oxford
• He faced the atrocities of war
– Living through the First World war
– Joined the British Navy in 1940 (WWII)
William Golding
Lord of the Flies was published in 1954
Booker McConnel Prize (British Literature)
Nobel Prize (1983)
Died in Wiltshire, England 1993
Themes
The most obvious of the themes is man
has a great need for the construct of
civilization. Contrary to the belief that
man is innocent and society evil, the
story shows that laws and rules,
policemen and schools are necessary
to keep the darker side of human
nature in line. When these institutions
and concepts slip away or are ignored,
human beings revert to a more
primitive part of their nature.
Themes
Evil (the beast) is within man himself.
Golding implies that the loss of innocence has
little to do with age but is related to a
person's understanding of human nature. It
can happen at any age or not at all. Painful
though it may be, this loss of innocence by
coming to terms with reality is necessary if
humanity is to survive.
Themes
Fear of the unknown on the island
revolves around the boys' terror of the
beast. The recognition that no real
beast exists, that there is only the power
of fear, is one of the deepest meanings
of the story.
Is the novel realistic?
Golding establishes a sense of reality by
his descriptions of the boys and by the
language of their conversations with
each other.
The boys have ordinary physical
attributes and mannerisms of young
boys. The group includes a variety of
physical types: short, tall, dark, light,
freckled, tow-headed, etc.
Is the novel realistic?
To stress the universality of their later
actions, Golding takes great pains
to present the boys as normal. The
‘littluns” suck their thumbs, eat
sloppily, etc., while the older ones
rolling about the sand, stand on their
heads, and swim.
Is the novel realistic?
Even their unkindness to Piggy is
credible for children often display a
“natural cruelty” to anyone they
consider different or inferior.
Nor does their metamorphosis from
ordinary schoolboys into bloodthirsty
savages seem unlikely, for Golding
has taken the descent one step at a
time.
Characters as Symbols
•
• Ralph - common
sense, and
responsibility
• Jack - immediate
•
gratification and
irresponsible authority
• Piggy - ineffective
intellectualism
Simon - mystic, Religious
side of man. Understands
good and evil but no
communication.
Samneric - incapable of
acting independently.
They represent loss of
identity through fear of the
beast.
• Dead parachutist - the “sign,” evil developing
on the island
Characters as Symbols
Each of the characters represents a part
of man
Good
Evil
Spiritual
Intellectual
Adventurous
WHAT ELSE?
Objects as Symbols
Conch shell - law and
order. The shell
looses authority as
anarchy grows. The
conch fades in
color and power.
It’s power is broken
with the “fall of
piggy.”
Lord of the Flies -
Refers to the head
of the pig which
Jack has left as an
offering to the
“beast.” Literal
translation of the
“Beelzebub,” prince
of demons.
Symbolizes man’s
capacity for evil
Objects as Symbols
Huts - represent the
desire to preserve
civilization; when
Jack gains power
they move into
caves like the
animals they have
become.
Fire - its use divides
civilization from
savagery. Ralph
uses it for hope;
Jack for cooking. It
is Jack’s group that
allows the fire
(hope) to go out
Objects as symbols
Piggy’s glasses - They
signify man’s ability
to perceive, to
think. That thought
can be misused for
destructive purpose
is shown when
Piggy’s glasses are
used to smoke
Ralph out.
Night and Darkness an archetypal symbol
of evil, “the powers of
darkness.” The boys
would have
recognized the
chutist in the
daylight, as would
they have Simon.
The beast is more
real at night
Objects as Symbols
Face paint - The paint
helps the boys hide
from their own
consciences,
turning them into
anonymous
savages who are
freed from the
restraints of
“civilized” behavior.
Stick sharpened on
both ends -
Represents how
much evil has taken
the boys over. First it
was used to offer the
beast the pig
sacrifice; next to
offer it Ralph’s.
Jack
Jack, chief
representative of evil in
the novel, is too inhibited
by society’s teachings to
teachings to slay the
piglet the first day, he
later progresses to
exhilaration in his first kill.
Jack
Eventually he comes to
kill for the sheer thrill of
slaughter rather than
the need for meat, and
this becomes the
motive for hunting.
Ralph
Ralph is a tall, blond twelve
year old, establishes
himself as the leader of
the boys when he blows
the conch shell to call
the first assembly.
Throughout the story, he
struggles to maintain
order and is forced to
compete with Jack for
respect.
Ralph
A dynamic character is one
who undergoes a change
during the story because
he learns a truth or comes
to a realization about
himself.
Ralph is such a character.
Original Character
1. Enjoys the absence of
adults on the island
2. Popular
3. Indifferent to Piggy
4. Enjoys the island
5. Likes Jack
6. Trusts others
7. Refuses to accept the
beast.
What changes him
1. Decay of order
2. Insistence on rules
3. Need for intelligence
4. Brutal behavior revealed
5. Savagery in Jack
6. Betrayed by all
7. Savagery in himself and
other
Character changed
1. Wishes adults were
present on the island
2. An outcast
3. Appreciates and misses
Piggy
4. Hates the island
5. Fears Jack
6. Trusts no one
7. Knows the beast is within