Transcript Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies
Notes and Ruminations
Island Map
The Sound of the Shell
Chapter 1
Symbols
Object/Charact
er
Piggy (and
Glasses)
Ralph, The
Conch
Simon
Represents
Clear-sightedness, intelligence. Their state
represents the status of social order.
Democracy, ___________
The "Scar"
Pure Goodness, _______
Evil, _____
Savagery, Anarchy
A microcosm representing the world
____________________
The Beast
____________________
Lord of the Flies
____________________
Roger
Jack
The Island
Major Themes
►Society
holds everyone together:
without these conditions, our ideals,
values, and the basics of right and
wrong are lost
►Morals come directly from our
surroundings, and if there is no
civilization around us, we will lose
these values.
Secondary Themes
►People
will abuse power when it's not
earned.
►When given a chance, people often
single out another to degrade to
improve their own security.
► You
can only cover up inner savagery so
long before it breaks out, given the right
situation.
Secondary Themes, continued
►It's
better to examine the
consequences of a decision before you
make it than to discover them
afterward.
►The fear of the unknown can be a
powerful force, which can turn you to
either insight or hysteria.
Chapter 1: The Sound of the
Shell
►Ralph:
 Ralph is twelve years old with blond
hair, and is the most charismatic of
the group. He is described as being
built "like a boxer," and is initially
chosen as leader due to his many
positive qualities.
Chapter 1
►
Piggy:
 Piggy is a short and overweight boy who wears
glasses and represents order and democracy.
 He tries very hard to cling to civilization, and
tries his best to keep peace.
 While probably the smartest boy on the island,
he lacks any social skills whatsoever, and has
trouble communicating or fitting in with the
others
Fire on the Mountain
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
►Jack: about Ralph's age, with a
skinnier build and red hair
►harbors emotions of anger and
savagery
►has savage personality and tells
people what they want to hear
Chapter 2
►Theme:
Piggy thinks the boys are
acting like little children (they are
children-- Piggy acts like the adult
figure).
►He cites their irresponsibility in
dealing with the fire.
►Jack shows belligerence when he
argues with Ralph about the signal
fire: "The conch doesn't count on
Chapter 2
►Symbol:
the conch
►Elsewhere,
a symbol of order and
democracy
►On the mountain, it loses some of its
power
►The fabric of society begins to unravel
Chapter 2
►Symbol:
“The Beast”
 Mainly, the beast represents the theme:
Fear of the Unknown
 Symbolizes all the unspoken fears of the
boys
 Fear of the dark, fear of dying, fear of not
being rescued, etc.
Chapter 2
►Symbol:
Piggy’s glasses
 The boys finally ‘secure’ their link to
civilization
 Piggy’s glasses allow the boys to start the
signal fire—necessary for ‘civilization’
Chapter 2
►The
fire: foreshadows destruction of
all kinds
 The loose society of the boys
 The dissension in leadership
 The general lack of commitment to order
Huts on the Beach
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
►Conflict:
Jack and Ralph
►Jack: hunting is more
important
►Ralph: the signal fire and
huts are more important
Chapter 3
►Theme:
Wrong decisions:
 Jack insists that hunting is
necessary
 He ignores the long-term
consequences
 Satisfies the boys’ immediate
desire for meat
Chapter 3
►Foreshadowing:
Jack
and Ralph’s conflict in this
chapter hints of the
greater conflict to come
Chapter 3
►Symbol:
(Simon)—his trip into the
jungle
►Communion with nature\
►Twofold:
 He (and the other boys) are slowly
regressing to a savage state in
harmony with the island
 His retreat represents the potential
for the boys to live together without
conflict
Chapter 3
►Symbol:
(Simon)—good,
peaceful, and helpful character
►Contrast to the other boys
(Simon, Piggy, and Ralph are
the only boys who reliably work
on the huts)
Painted Faces and
Long Hair
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
►Themes:
Society and covering
inner savagery
►Roger-throws
rocks at a littlun
►By intentionally missing, he
shows the diminishing hold his
former society has on him
Chapter 4
►Theme:
► represents
Jack—painting his face
a cover that he can hide behind,
which liberates him, allowing him to do
anything when wearing it, without worrying
about any important matters
Chapter 4
► Theme:
Jack’s aggression
► Jack’s assault on Piggy underscores the
regression of morals
► The accompanying laughter illustrates how
the hunters (and the rest of the boys) are
losing their grasp of right and wrong
Chapter 4
► Theme
and Symbol: Primal Dance
► highlights their transition into savagery
Chapter 4
► Symbol:
Piggy’s Glasses
► These are broken in this chapter
► Show the society’s first ‘break’ with morals
Beast From Water
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
►Theme:
together
►Ralph
Society holds us
Says:
 rules aren't being followed
 “…we ought to die before we let
the fire out."
Chapter 5
►Theme:
together
Society holds us
 Conflict: Jack challenges Ralph’s
authority
 The hunters disrupt the order of
the meeting with their primal
dance (symbolic)
Chapter 5
►Theme:
►The
Society holds us together
"beast" is just a force of evil or
savagery inside all of them
►Jack becomes more savage
►Ralph remains civilized
Chapter 5
the Beast
►This preoccupies the littl’uns
►Jack claims there is not one,
but does not believe it
himself
►Symbol:
Chapter 5
►Symbol:
the Beast
 Simon says:
 “…it’s only us.”
 Theme: belittling others to add
to our own security
 The other boys ridicule Simon for
suggesting such an idea
Beast from Air
Chapter 6
Castle Rock
Chapter 6
the “Beast from Air”
►The fears all the boys had at the
beginning of the novel are now
realized
►Samneric’s sleeping at the fire and
their fear of the beast show the
breakdown in organization/society
►Theme:
Chapter 6
the Beast
►The dead pilot symbolizes the outward
proof of savagery
►the dead pilot becomes a goal (as the
beast), or a new challenge to kill
►The boys are not interested in
maintaining order, but committing
violence
►Symbol:
Chapter 6
►Theme:
►Jack
Society holds us together
suggests the hunt
►Though not an open challenge to
Ralph’s authority, it does illustrate a
shift in leadership as most of the
boys follow Jack (including Ralph)
Chapter 6
Society holds us
together/Inner Savage
►Theme:
►At
Castle Rock—Jack forgets
momentarily the reason for the
hunt
►The Castle Rock becomes a great
place for a fort
Chapter 6
Society holds us
together/Inner Savage
►Theme:
►Jack’s
desires illustrate death,
destruction, and anarchy
►Ralph’s desires illustrate the need
for order (he knows he must
participate in the hunt to maintain
order)
Chapter 6
►Foreshadowing:
Jack’s and
the hunters’ interest in Castle
Rock hint at the location for a
new camp site
Shadows and Tall Trees
►Chapter
7
Chapter 7
►Theme:
Inner Savage
►Ralph notes how dirty they are:
►Outwardly, they take as normal
the appearance of savage
Chapter 7
►Theme:
Inner Savage
►Jack and his conflict with Ralph
►The Dance This time Robert
is physically hurt
Chapter 7
►Theme/Symbol:
Simon (Society
holds us together)
►Simon’s sacrifice to go through
the jungle is necessary for the
well-being of the group
Gift for the
Darkness
Chapter 8
The Lord of the Flies
Chapter 8
►Theme:
Society holds us
together
►Temporarily, the threat of the
beast unites the boys
Chapter 8
►Conflict:
Jack calls for new
leadership
►Jack finds that openly, he has
no support
►Jack leaves to form his own
‘society’
Chapter 8
►Theme:
Society holds us together
►The boys have split into two
groups:
 Order, democracy Ralph, Piggy,
Samneric and littl’uns
 Chaos, anarchy  Jack, Roger, the
rest of the hunters
Chapter 8
►Theme:
The beast/Inner Savage
 Outward proof of the hunters’
change
►This
is the ‘Lord of the Flies’
►The severed head literally attracts
swarms of flies
Chapter 8
►Symbol:
The Beast
►LOF  evil, chaos, anarchy
►The pig’s head symbolizes all
the evil possible by mankind
►The Devil
Chapter 8
►Symbol:
Simon
►Simon’s sacrificial symbolism
►Revelation  the true origin of
evil is within us
 Each of us has within us the
capability to commit evil
Chapter 8
►Foreshadowing:
Simon’s death
►The threat Simon faces of dying
►Simon’s state of mind