Lord of the Flies Flashcards
(8 cards)
CHARACTER PROFILE : Piggy
*Pigs are intelligent creatures that are hunted and killed on the island
*A microcosm for rational and scientific thought
Rational and intelligent
*Poor grammar suggests he comes from a different social background compared to Ralph
*Thinks logically
*An outsider
THESIS
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a powerful allegory that explores the inherent darkness within human nature. Set on a deserted island, the novel begins in a seemingly prelapsarian state — a world untouched by the corruption of society — but quickly descends into savagery. Golding presents the island as a microcosm of the wider world, using the boys’ gradual loss of innocence to reflect the fragile nature of civilisation. As the utopian hopes of order and harmony unravel, the novel’s denouement delivers a stark warning about the consequences of unchecked power and the innate capacity for evil. Through this, Golding critiques the illusion of moral superiority and highlights the thin facade that separates society from chaos.
Symbolism of The Conch
A motif for law, order and civilisation as it is a tool used by Ralph and Piggy to bring the boys together and establish rules. Whoever holds the conch has the right to speak, this reflects democratic values and structured society.
Symbolism of The Beast
The beast is a central symbol for the boys’ fear but more importantly, symbolises the innate evil within human beings. It is a powerful allegory for the darker side of human nature. Fear can lead to irrational behaviour, violence, and the breakdown on civilisation
RALPH : “There was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil”
This quote helps characterise Ralph as good-natured and innocent. Golding presents Ralph as naturally moral and a trustworthy figure.
‘proclaimed no evil’ suggests that Ralph is free from evil and others might not be. This subtly foreshadows that evil does exist and this sets Ralph apart from characters like Jack.
‘devil’ has religious connotations, Golding uses this to explore the moral conflict between good and evil. Ralph is presented as untouched by sin - at the start.
Golding uses this like to reinforce his central idea of the inherent evil within humans. Golding hints that evil is the exception in Ralph as he shows no signs of evil or savagery and he stands out as he tries to stay civilised, resist violence and do what is morally right. This makes Ralph a symbol of order, morality and hope.
RALPH : “Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-powering.”
This shows how Ralph changes over the novel as he was previously described having ‘no devil’ but here he is overtaken by an animalistic urge. Golding uses this to show that even Ralph, the microcosm for civilisation, it not immune to the savegery that consumes the other boys.
‘Fighting to get near’ shows desperation and loss of control as he is caught up in an uncontrollable urge to join the violence and is being swept away by the mob mentality. Alternatively, this could perhaps show Ralph’s internal conflict between his civilised values and temptation of violence.
RALPH : “Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-powering.”
“brown, vulnerable flesh” dehumanises Simon; reducing him to just flesh strips away his identity. This dehumanisation makes the violence easier to commit and it shows how far Ralph has fallen from civilisation - he is not thinking about right or wrong, just acting on impulse.
This makes the reader and Ralph feel distanced from Simon as a person and reflects how violence causes people to loose empathy.
‘vulnerable’ reminds the reader that Simon is defenceless, innocent and fragile which makes the violence even more shocking as Ralph is trying to hurt someone who poses to threat. It highlights the cruelty of society and how they attack someone weak - not out of self-defence but out of a desire to hurt.
Golding intends to show how easy it is to fall back to our primal instincts when influenced. This wouldn’t happen if we all weren’t innate evil.
RALPH : “Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-powering.”
‘The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-powering’ shows that Ralph isn’t thinking rationally and is driven by a primitive urge. ‘over-powering’ shows that this desire is stronger than his morals or conscience thought. Ralph isn’t choosing violence - he is overcome by it.
This line shows that violence isn’t limited and even someone good can fell the thrill and temptation of hurting others. Golding is showing that evil lies within all humans and can be unleashed in the right or wrong circumstances.
Golding wrote Lord of the Flies post-World War 2. He had seen how ordinary people were capable of great cruelty. He seen how evil is not a foreign force - it is inside all of us and civilisation only masks it. Golding wanted to challenge the idea that people are naturally good. He believed that when society broke down, savagery takes over.
This proves that civilisation is fragile and is a thin facade for our natural instincts as Golding shows how easy it is for people to naturally descend into savagery as he believes man produces evil as a bee produces honey. All humans have the capacity of evil
