Transcript Lord of the Flies - Coach Brett's 10th Grade Literature

Information about
Lord of the Flies
Dr. Grimaldi’s
English 2 Honor’s
Class Notes
Themes

The most obvious of the themes is
man's need for 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.
They’re the real thing


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…
...They’re the real thing

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
roll about in the sand, stand on their
heads, and swim.
...They’re the real thing

Even their unkindness to Piggy is
credible, for children often display a
natural cruelty to anyone they
consider different or inferior.
Life among the savages

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

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
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.
Characters as symbols

Dead parachutist=
the “sign,” evil
developing on the
island

Each of the
characters represents
a part of man.
...Characters as symbols

We all have good, evil, common
sense, intelligence, a sense of
nature within us.
Objects as symbols
Conch shell



law and order
The shell loses
authority as
anarchy grows.
The conch fades in
color and power.
Its 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
purposes 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
parachutist 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.
It would have been
used to offer Ralph.
Jack
Jack, chief
representative of
evil in the novel, is
too inhibited by
society’s 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, 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.
Dynamic character


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.
A.
His initial 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.
B.
What changes him
1.
2.
3.
4.
Decay of order
Insistence on rules
Need for intelligence
Brutal behavior
revealed
5. Savagery in Jack
6. Betrayed by all
7. Savagery in himself
and other
C. Character change
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