LOTF Quotes Flashcards
(16 cards)
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy.”
Golding is saying that the experience of war reduces us all to weeping children. The image of a weeping child creates pathos.
The global events of the first half of the twentieth century are often referred to as a “loss of innocence”
The metaphor “the darkness of man’s heart” is the key message of the novel. It echoes the title of Joseph Conrad’s novella; Heart of Darkness which challenges the idea that there is any distinction between “civilised” man and “savage” behaviour.
It is weird that Piggy is put on the end of this list, however it does serve to humanise the losses Ralph has suffered: “innocence” and “darkness” are both abstract nouns whereas “Piggy” is substantial and tangible. Perhaps this mention of Piggy is Golding’s eulogy for all “true, wise” friends lost in combat. It serves to remind the reader of Ralph’s humnaity.
Jack held out his hands for the conch and stood up, holding the delicate thing carefully in his sooty hands.
Delicate thing is symbolic of the fragility of order and civilisation
This is juxtaposed with Jack’s ‘sooty hands’ which show corruption and darkness, which begin to rub off onto order as the novel progresses
We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English.
contrast between savages and english; however, the irony is the children are only on the island due to the savage effects of the war the english were fighting in
All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat
All-consuming nature of human destructions- the scar is ‘long’ and ‘all round him’; there is no escaping
Sibilance of scar smashed is onomatopoeic- the reader can hear the violent crashing sound; the metaphor ‘scar’ alluding to the wounds mankind inflicts upon nature
Jungle has overgrown, primitive connotations, while bath of heat is pathetic fallacy creating a sense of being submerged in sthng overwhelming
‘Flowers and fruit grew together on the same tree and everywhere was the scent of ripeness and the booming of a million bees at pasture.’
Fricative creates a tone of pleasant unity
Grew together suggests working as one leads to growth, like Simon handing the littluns fruit
Associations of hard work and living together are also used, eg with bees and this suggests it is the boys who cause the savagery, not their environment
Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.
Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilisation that knew nothing of him and was in ruins.
Polysyndeton emphasises the work required to civilise mankind; morally- parents, educationally- school, legally-policemen/law
‘Conditioned’ suggests not instinctively good, as we have to be conditioned to behave.
The hunters, circling still, pretended to beat him. As they danced, they sang “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.”
‘Pretended’ connotes innocence and childlike imagery, but is juxtaposed with ‘beat him’, showing innocence to violence
Envious and resentful highlights the appeal of the chant
‘Kill’ and ‘cut’ are used throughout, and are needed for a hunt. However, ‘spill her blood’ becomes ‘bash her in’ showing that the hunt has now become nothing more than desire for violence.
“What I mean is … maybe it’s only us.”
The inclusion of ‘only’ underestimates the level of evil humans inflict; it is ironic as it is supposed to sound reassuring but inadvertently masks the truth that humans’ immense cruelty is far worse than any ‘beast’
A sign came down from the world of grown-ups… a bright explosion
a figure dropping swiftly beneath a parachute, a figure that hung with dangling limbs.
The ‘world of grown ups’ is supposed to be safe and secure- however, the violence of explosion does not reflect this.
The figure shows that human life is insignificant; he has no identity; like Piggy nobody knows his name, he is killed in conflict and washed out to sea. The boys simply copy this adult world.
Fragility of human life is emphasised by ‘dangling’
However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick.
The ‘inward sight’ that allows him to see the truth is ironic as he is killed by the boys who are blinded by a frenzied dance
Juxtaposition of heroic and sick highlights the conflict within mankind. Was the destruction they fled heroic or sick?
Something like a great ape was sitting asleep with its head between its knees.
Then the wind roared in the forest and the creature lifted its head, holding toward them the ruin of a face.
Great ape makes the link between man and animal clear- we have not evolved past the animalistic savagery of the beast. We are nothing more than a creature at face value
The harmonious island begins to attack the boys.
Ruin of a face is an horrific image of violence/destruction
He was safe from shame or self-consciousness behind the mask of his paint.
Ralph’s face was half-hidden by hair and smut.
Fully hidden vs half-hidden. Jack’s mask is an excuse for his behaviour- shame and self-consciousness are emotions we feel when we have done wrong; however, now Jack has no moral compass and therefore no judgement either
Ralph’s face is only half-hidden with hair and smut (dirt), both of which can be easily removed (eg. by washing)
At once the crowd surged after it, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore.
Crowd shows the boys are no longer individuals; rather they are a mass of instinct
Imagery gives no suggestion of humanity; it is all predatory
Sibilance and verbal asyndetic listing
He began to pound the mouth below him, using his clenched fist as a hammer; he hit with more and more passionate hysteria as the face became slippery.
The victim below him (which turns out to be Eric) has been dehumanised. This shows the horrible effects of savagery, furthered by the face becoming ‘slippery’. It is almost as if Ralph is not thinking logically enough to realise why.
Imagery of a schoolboy fight is juxtaposed with that of a weapon (hammer)
Oxymoron in passionate hysteria- passion suggests purpose, while hysteria suggests emotional ambiguity and chaos
The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist…
His head opened and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy’s arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig’s after it has been killed.
Conch- order and civilisation
White- purity and innocence
A thousand fragments- order cannot be repaired
The death is described very childishly to show how the boys are not ready to experience the end of innocence, and don’t truly understand the severity of their actions.
Piggy’s brain is spilled. It is an annihilation of reason and moral clarity. The two remaining symbols of logic are destroyed.
This childish description also shows how human life is worthless and is understated, contrasting the brutality of the event.
Like a pig shows that Golding has completely stripped Piggy of humanity, just like not giving him a name.
Dramatic irony, that piggy is the only one who clings to logic, civilisation and morality, and yet is most animalised.
He forgot his wounds, his hunger and thirst, and became fear;
Hopeless fear on flying feet
Below him someone’s legs were getting tired.
All human identity has gone. Physical feelings have become unnoticeable.
Fricative showing the terror and irresistible force of his fear. Ralph is like the hunted pig in earlier chapters.
Ralph doesn’t even recognise himself anymore- his survival instinct drives him, even though his body is failing.
