Law and Order- Intro
At the start the rules on the island derive from society and emulate it’s premises
At the end democracy is disregarded in favour of impulse and primitive desire - resulting in violence
Law and Order - Paragraph 1
Point: laws mirror previous society
‘we can use this to call the others. Have a meeting.’ - shows how the boys are tethered to societal norms
‘this toy of voting’ - whilst they are children voting is how the world where they are from decides issues so they do it as well
‘as if released from class’ - shows how they still conform to the rules of the old world even though they don’t need to anymore
‘we’ll have to have ‘‘hands up!’’ like at school’ - the comparison to school shows that school is still very much in the forefront of their minds and still controls them.
Law and Order - Paragraph 2
Point: boys value democracy less, favouring their desire for freedom and violence
‘Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong - We hunt!’ links hunting to their descent to savagery making it a symbol throughout the novella and also the simple language shows a reverse of evolution back to primal language effectively forgetting the words they are taught in school showing their disassociation and defiance with the old world rules.
‘If i blow the conch and they don’t come back …. we’ll be like animals’ - one of the most ethical members on the islands foreshadows the descendance to savagery they are undergoing using a simile.
‘anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come’ - previously they were to civilised to kill the pig but now it is encouraged and embraced showing a step back in evolution back to days of hunting for food.’
‘we don’t need the conch anymore … leave deciding to us’ - the conch is a symbol of democracy so by disregarding it jack is becoming a powerful dictator that is power hungry and ruthless - similar to the power grabs that turn countries into dictatorships in the real world (microcosm).
Law and Order - Paragraph 3
Point: boys succumb to savagery after disregarding rules
‘liberation into savagery’ - shows that they are embracing their new habits and therefore humans naturally enjoy evil behaviour - the exact point Golding is trying to make in the novella.
‘ ‘‘Calling an assembly’’ the savages …. muttered among themselves but made no motion’ - the Conch has lost all its significance and therefore now democracy has dissipated and dictatorship prevailed. There is no more respect for law and order and therefore the children are now barbaric.
‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’ - the democracy has now completely been destroyed by the savagery and evil of Jack and his hunters and that their savagery has overcome democracy just as the evil of man has overcome the good.
‘ ‘‘Which is better to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?’’ ‘ - he is presenting an obvious rhetorical question but he knows that the law and order has completely disappeared and therefore only Jack’s opinion matters. Therefore, the boys will choose the latter option because it benefits Jack the most.
Good and Evil - Intro
Ralph reflects goodness
Evil of mankind is reflected through the Beast
Boys are demonic
Good and Evil - Paragraph 1
Point: Ralph’s leadership connotes the ascendance of morality
‘a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no evil’ - Golding begins by showing that Ralph is the protagonist within the novella.
‘fair boy’ - this description correlates to his actions and overall character. At this point he is the main character and therefore good takes the spotlight for the beginning.
‘the assembly was lifted towards safety by his words’ - he is able to command respect from others for the good of the group.
‘they liked an now respected him’ - he is instantly a figure of positive importance that is respected as well as liked meaning he should have loyalty and power for good.
Good and Evil - Paragraph 2
Point: Evil of the boys is suggested through the Beast in particular
‘Maybe there is a Beast, maybe it is only us’ - Simon is a mouthpiece for Golding who is saying that humans are innately evil due to his account of war. This shows that the Beast is a verbal manifestation of the evil within the boys which aligns with the fact that it starts when the hunters begin killing pigs with lots of enjoyment and bloodlust.
‘you knew didn’t you? I’m part of you? close, close, close!’ - this hallucination between Simon and the Lord of the Flies is really just a conversation with the different parts of himself the good and the evil. In this interaction the pig’s head on the stick is the evil and is taunting Simon with the fact that he knows that he is actually evil. This is a turning point in the battle between good and evil as Simon and the reader realise that the immoral part of the children is stronger than the moral part.
‘There was blackness within, blackness that spread’ - the evil is symbolised by the blackness as a warning for the terrorism that Jack is overcoming the good in the majority of the children.
Good and Evil - Paragraph 3
Point: the boys are now presented as completely evil
‘the darkness of man’s heart’ - showing that this evil is universal across humans and that without laws we would all lose our civility further showing that this story is an allegory.
‘a solid mass of menace’ - showing that their own bodies are now evil therefore the fact that they have completely transitioned to their primitive ways.
‘anonymous devils’ faces’ - they are no longer human but now just anonymous faces that are owned by the epitome of evil, the devil. Shows that evil has beaten good as Simon, a Christ-like figure has died and the devil-like hunters have prevailed, who are a symbol of evil.
‘Roger sharpened the stick at both ends’ - this shows that Roger’s only intention is to harm and there is no alternative option than being stabbed and that therefore he is now completely evil and set on killing Ralph with no mercy.
Savagery and violence - intro
To begin, the children are fascinated and attracted by violence.
Throughout the novel they gradually lose the societal conditioning and succumb to innate savagery
Savagery and violence - Paragraph 1
Point: they are conditioned by society not to engage in violence
‘whee-oh! Wacco! Bong! Doink!’ - this shows their playful view of violence where it is not actually with destructive intentions but with a child-like innocence.
‘returned as a fighter plane, with wings swept back and machine gunned Piggy’ - instantly shows that Piggy is seen as a inferior target that can be bullied, Ralph was not doing this to be mean but it shows if the intentions of their violence change Piggy will still be the target and will be in danger.
‘like a bomb’ - simile of the children and a destructive war weapon foreshadows the fact6 that they can cause serious harm to each other.
‘because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into flesh; because of the unbearable blood.’ - this shows that whilst they have got violent intentions they are tethered to civilisation and therefore can’t bring themselves to end a defenseless pig because of the weigh it would have on their conscience.
Savagery and violence - Paragraph 2
Point : boys are tempted and lust for bloodshed
‘ ‘‘There was lashings of blood!’’ said Jack laughing and shuddering’ - this implies that whilst Jack enjoyed the killing of the pig he had been craving a part of him from society still resounds within him. However, as the novella has progressed this part of all the boys slowly disappears and makes way for unnecessary violence.
‘share one wide, ecstatic grin’ - they feel happy about killing and give in to their primitive desire for blood and meat.
‘the desire to hurt and squeeze was over-mastering’ - he is getting over powered by his desire and primitive bloodlust which is a turning point because in society we have to control desire but on the island he is encouraged to give in to temptation.
Savagery and violence - Paragraph 3
Point: boys are consumed by their primitive desire to kill and now they carry it out on each other like they are all animals.
‘desire, thick, urgent, blind’ - this shows that Jack has become blinded by his power to get whatever he wants and now that he wants others on the island dead he is fixated upon doing something that in normal society is unspeakable but on the island is enjoyed and encouraged like sport.
‘tearing of teeth and claws’ - this confirms that Jack’s group are the Beast because the boys are now described like an apex predator that can kill with ease and no conscience. The reason they are evil is because they do it not to survive but for greed. This conveys Golding’s message that man is inherently evil.
‘anonymous devils’ faces’ - they have now given into so much that they are being likened with the verbal manifestation of evil - Satan. They no longer humans they have no become complete animals.
‘Roger sharpened a stick at both ends’ - this implies two things. Firstly, that Roger’s only intention is to kill Ralph as he doesn’t even have a blunt side to play fight with on his spear. Also, that once Ralph is dead they will do what they did to the sow and stick his head on a stick in the ground and this symbolises the fact that goodness has been defeated.
Piggy - Intorduction
Piggy is weaker
Piggy is adult-like and thinks he is mentally superior
Piggy is fearful when order breaks down
Piggy - Paragraph 1
Point: weakness and inferiority
‘expression of pain and inward concentration’ - he is instantly picked on due to his physical inferiority and so his intelligence is what keeps him from being completely disregarded.
‘I’ve been wearing specs since I was 3’ - he is naturally inhibited with his sight which makes him vulnerable to others.
‘I was the only boy in our school that had asthma’ - he is also challenged when it comes to breathing and therefore gets targeted and bullied just like he did at school, this shows that children are naturally mean in Golding’s view.
‘his knees were plump, caught and scratched’ - he is overweight and therefore is an easy target for bullying. His weight is also a similarity to the pigs on the island who are killed and hunted which foreshadows his death. His name is also an early symbol of his inferiority to Jack especially who hunts the pigs and terrorizes Piggy throughout the novella.
Piggy - Paragraph 2
Point: Piggy is a parent like figure who is responsible and intelligent
‘ like a crowd of kids’ - Piggy sees himself as an adult that is above the antics of the other boys.
‘ ‘‘act proper’’ ‘ - Piggy is telling the littl’uns off like a parent does and for the most part people listen because no one has been authoritative and told the littl’uns off since they came to the island .
‘ ‘’ we ought to be more careful’’ ‘ - Piggy considers a lot more consequences than all of the other boys which shows his intelligence and parent like status to some of the islanders and himself.
‘ ‘’ Piggy’ll look after them’’ ‘ - the first time Piggy is actually needed is to take care of the Littl’uns and so it is now his purpose to do so like he has been for a while.
Piggy - Paragraph 3
Point: he is afraid and vulnerable because of the violent intentions of Jack his vulnerability poses a physical danger.
‘his passionate willingness to carry the conch against all the odds’ - his faith is in law and order but his faith is misplaced despite his intelligence because of the awful circumstances he is hanging onto a strand of hope.
‘ ‘‘I’ll show him the one thing he hasn’t got’’ ‘ - the conch is now the only thing that can save Piggy even though it is redundant and irrelevant to Jack. Piggy’s hope is borderline delusional because he has no other option.
‘ ‘‘Am I safe? I feel awful.’’ ‘ - He can’t even see and is asking for Ralph to reassure that he isn’t in danger and can’t even tell what is going on around him.
‘like pig’s after it has been killed’ - this compares Piggy to all of the helpless hunted Pigs on the island and is the ultimate form of vulnerability - prey.
Ralph - Introduction
Ralph begins as naive
Becomes more aware of the other’s evil until he is desperate for civilisation
Ralph - Paragraph 1
Point: Naive and childish
‘The delight of realised ambition came over him …. ‘No grownups!’ - This shows that Ralph feels as if he has been liberated and is excited at the prospect of no consequences.
‘returned as a fighter plane’ - he is playful and has a child’s imagination that is creative and fun showing that at the start these children are just like normal children their age - innocent and playful.
‘When (my dad) gets leave he’ll come and rescue us’ - he has not comprehended the enormity of the situation and still has hope that they will be saved as soon as possible.
‘the shell was interesting and pretty and a worthy plaything’ - the polysyndeton emphasises his excitement and he doesn’t see it for its deeper democracy yet but just a fascinating toy.
Ralph - Paragraph 2
Point: he becomes increasingly aware of the dire situation
‘when the meeting was over they’d work for 5 minutes and wander off’ - the others are lazy an Ralph is now aware that they aren’t putting any work in on the island and leaving it all to him and Simon. He is now aware of the unjust society he is in.
‘We can’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued.’ - Ralph recognises the fact that Jack is helping the the boys give in to their primal desires instead of help with the fire. Also, he no longer believe his dad will find them and has come to terms with the actual situation.
‘to Ralph this seemed the breaking up of sanity’ - Golding tells us that it is only Ralph that recognises the consequences of the animalistic behaviour and therefore he is now one of the most perceptive on the island with a higher understanding than others.
‘the miles of division’ - Ralph is different to the hunters because he can seethe evil brewing in the group and the desire for blood which is commanding him.
‘the world, the understandable, lawful world, was slipping away’ - he is recognising that as Jack gains more power the descent to savagery is accelerating and that the others are complicit whilst he isn’t along with Piggy and Simon - the most intelligent.
Ralph - Paragraph 3
Point: he is desperate for civilisation and decency he has to have naivety to hold out hope in humanity
‘we aren’t savages’ - he is trying to convince Jack’s tribe to come to their sense. He has to be naive and have hope that they can change which create a cyclical story around Ralph.
‘You voted me for chief. Didn’t you hear the conch?’ - he asks a naive question because he knows that they no longer regard the conch or him with respect but he has to try to win them over or he will be hunted down by Jack.
‘which is better - law and rescue or hunting and breaking things?’ - as a reader we know that the first option is better but the savages prefer the latter. This presents Ralph as one of the last sane islanders with reason and who is reminiscent of civilisation and how it tethered them to sanity.
‘Ralph wept for the … darkness of man’s heart’ - Ralph has realised the fact that humans are innately evil and that he is grieving the people that the savages once were because they are now as good as dead.
Jack - Introduction
dominating
violence obsessed
dictatorial
Jack - Paragraph 1
Point: dominating and controlling
Piggy was ‘intimidated by this uniformed superiority’ - from the start Jack finds ways to declare himself better than others and scare others. Whether it is through insults like ‘fatty’ or if it is through his position as ‘head chorister’.
‘the boy who controlled them … cap badge was golden’ - he doesn’t lead the choristers he ‘controls them’ connoting a lack of respect from the others as they don’t do what he wants willingly but instead due to fear of his ruthlessness. Which he uses as a weapon of intimidation.
‘'’I ought to be chief’’ said Jack with simple arrogance’ - he feels entitled to be a leader since he already controls the choir and he wants to gain more power. Ralph has to satiate Jacks’s hunger for power by letting him control the hunters.
‘wearily obedient’ - like dogs whom follow their master but they don’t want to showing that he is forcing him to or there will be consequences from him. Instantly implies his fear tactics that he naturally uses and abuses.
Jack - Paragraph 2
Point: violence obsessed
‘the compulsion to track down and kill was swallowing him up’ - this doesn’t specify it being animals which foreshadows the future death of Piggy and Simon. It also shows that it is his primitive urges doing this to him and therefore that he naturally is blood thirsty and that society conditioned him not be.
‘his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling’ - everything about him is becoming based on blood shed and he can’t get it off his mind.
Jack ‘ was looking brilliantly happy ‘‘Hunting’’ he said’ - his vocabulary is diminishing to one word sentences that mirror his desires showing his distance from society and civilisation.
‘repeats ‘’ we needed meat’’ - this shows that the only necessity Jack is concerned with is meat. he is like a drug addict for meat - he will give everything up , including the signal fire, just for the meat.
Paragraph - 3
Point: fear mongering dictatorship
‘imitation war-cry’ - this shows that now Jack wants to strike fear into his oppositions’s heart and that he now commands an army of blood-thirsty savages.
‘the tribe screaming now like the chief’ - they now imitate what Jack does because he is the epitome of savagery that they look up to for commandment. He no longer has to ask for them to do his bidding they do it without any instruction due to their devotion to him. He is treat like a dictator that they need to please to avoid violence towards them.
‘you got to join my tribe’ - his English is no longer correct reflecting his disconnect from civilisation. Also, he treats his tribe like an army that is at his dispense.
‘the chief snatched one of the few spears that were left and poked Sam in the ribs’ - he is now just known as ‘the chief’ - this shows that he is now an entity more than a person. Also, he tortures Sam and Eric to get information out which shows his brutal, fear driven, control tactics.
