Quotes Flashcards
(10 cards)
Ralph
“A mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil” – Religious allusion – portrays him as innocent, possibly naïve. We know Golding believes in the inherent evil of humanity, which suggests a future arc in his character. It also suggests that looks might be deceiving.
“We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school” “We’ve got to have rules and obey them” – Shows Ralph’s desire for rules and structure, while juxtaposing his newfound leadership against his youth.
“He sunned himself in their new respect and felt that hunting was good after all” – Golding shows us a very different side of Ralph, who finds himself caught up in the hunt like everybody else, making the reader consider how superior Ralph really is. Golding demonstrates how the potential for evil lies within us all. Ralph seeking validation from the others also suggests a need to fit in, illustrating the lengths people will go to in order to be part of the group.
“The desire to squeeze and hurt was overmastering” – Despite his earlier protests against hunting, Ralph finds himself caught up in the hunt, and the bloodlust felt by the other boys, illustrating how nobody can resist the draw of evil.
“The throb and stamp of a single organism” – This line conveys the dangers of mob mentality, illustrating the damage that can be done when people choose mindless conformity over sense and morality.
“Cradling the conch” – Reminds the reader of the youth and fragility of the boys – suggests Ralph is comforting himself with the idea of democracy, implying it is the only way to fix this situation is to return to their original sense of civilisation.
“Ralph shuddered at the human contact” – Reminiscent of a skittish animal- illustrates just how detached from human civility Ralph has become.
“There was something good about a fire” – Ralph is losing touch with his original mission, representing him losing touch with his humanity.
“Desperately, Ralph prayed that the beast would prefer littluns” – Illustrates Ralph’s selfish nature when faced with his own mortality – intrinsic evil.
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and…the true, wise friend called Piggy” – Emphasises how the boys have been irreversibly changed by this experience, and leaves the reader wondering what might have happened if these events were not stopped when they were.
Jack
“Uniformed superiority” – Suggests Jack wants to present himself as someone powerful and authoritative.
“The compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up” – Suggests Jack is losing himself to his savage impulses.
“His laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling” – Animalistic description suggests Jack is further giving into savagery.
“Liberated from shame and self-consciousness” – Suggests he has been ‘liberated’ from the boundaries imposed on him by society, and is now free to pursue his true, primal desires.
“[Authority] chattered in his ear like an ape” – Primitive behaviour
“Jack slammed his knife into a trunk” – Suggests Jack is trying to exert his power over the boys using aggression and threat.
“Like an idol”
“He’s a proper chief” – Loyalty gained through fear and violence.
Piggy
“What intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy” – presents Piggy’s logical nature, but how he is often not appreciated.
“With the martyred expression of a parent” – Connotations of responsibility and wisdom.
“He was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow” – Symbolic of him being the only boy still thinking rationally.
“Life…is scientific, that’s what it is” – Demonstrates the ongoing conflict between savagery and rationality.
“The conch…ceased to exist” – The fact that Piggy’s death also brings about the destruction of the conch could suggest that reason and intellectualism is required for a functioning society.
“The fat boy” “The fair boy” – From the onset of the book, Piggy is portrayed as different due to his appearance.
“Shut up Fatty!” – Despite Piggy being the voice of reason, he is shut down – symbolic of dictators silencing those who speak against them.
“Piggy was an outsider”
Simon
“Simon’s always about” – Could suggests that goodness is always present, but it is often overshadowed by our darker desires.
“Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach” – Illustrates his caring nature – religious allusion – feeding the 5000.
“I just think you’ll get back all right” – Simon possesses an almost prophetic quality to him, suggesting he is above the human evil present in the other boys.
“His eyes were half-closed, as though he were imitating the obscene thing” – Suggests that even the most righteous people can be influenced by evil.
“Blue-white scar” – suggests something damaging and permanent is about to happen.
“No movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” – Animalistic language – emphasises the violence of Simon’s death
“The line of his cheek silvered and the turn of his shoulder became sculpted marble” – In death, Simon is given an almost heavenly quality, immortalising him as a martyr.
“Young Simon was murdered” – Emphasises his youth and innocence, juxtaposing it against the brutal act.
Roger
“Kicking” “Burying” “Scattering” – Semantic field of destruction – illustrates Roger’s aggressive nature.
“Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilisation which knew nothing of him and was in ruins” – Irony – demonstrates the fall of civilisation both on the island and off of it, reminding the reader that the island is simply a microcosm for the greater world. It also implies that Roger does not stop through any sense of morality or concern, but rather because he has been taught not to hurt others, and those teachings are quickly losing their hold on him, emphasising how innate evil cannot be prevented or removed; it can only be controlled through laws and societal boundaries.
“The spear moved forwards inch by inch” – In contrast to Jack, who effectively slits the pig’s throat, Roger seems to want to pig to suffer, reflecting his truly sadistic nature.
“Delirious abandonment” – Implies an intoxicating nature to the giving up on society.
“Roger sharpened a stick at both ends” – Not only shows Roger’s vicious nature but also symbolises how the abandonment of civilisation will hurt everybody.
“Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority” – Suggests he has gained power through his violence towards Piggy – making him seems threatening and dangerous.
“The hangman’s horror clung to him” – Childish alliteration – suggests it will not be easily parted with – elevated above the others.
Civilisation vs Savagery
“We ought to have a chief” – Golding believed that political organisation was necessary to maintain a functioning civilisation, and this simple assertion shows the boys’ initial attempts to have a civilised existence.
“Defeated” – An early example of primitive and bloodthirsty behaviour overcoming the voice of reason.
“The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain” – Jack is already trying to undermine their civilisation, symbolising corrupt leaders who alter rules to suit their own needs.
“If you don’t blow, we’ll soon be animals anyway” – Suggests that civilisation and social order are the only things standing between humans and savagery.
“A sign came down from the world of grownups” – Irony – the boys are fighting for a civilisation which is crumbling around them – ‘sign’ could foreshadow the collapse of society on the island, suggesting that the dissolution into savagery is inevitable. It is interesting that the boys believe that the parachutist is the beast, as it is ultimately the result of human conflict, further emphasising the idea that the beast is merely a representation of human inclination to evil.
“A human at once heroic and sick” – Simon recognises the duality of man, and how the beast is only a manifestation of the inexorable evil of humanity.
“This was not Bill. This was a savage” – Complete change of identity – fundamentally lost his humanity.
“The mask compelled them” – Suggests savagery appeals to the boys.
“The fire was dead” – Bleak language – implies a loss of hope – shows how they are failing to build a functioning society.
“Exposure to the air had bleached the yellow and pink to near white” – Democracy is beginning to lose its appeal.
“Maybe it’s only us” – Simon recognises that people are the things which should be feared – the beast can be seen to represent the evil lurking within the boys.
“The desire to squeeze and hurt was overmastering” – Despite his earlier protests against hunting, Ralph finds himself caught up in the hunt, and the bloodlust felt by the other boys, illustrating how nobody can resist the draw of evil.
“Demented but partly secure society” – Demonstrates how their need for safety comes before their need for morality.
“The throb and stamp of a single organism” – Illustrates the damaged which can be done without the limits of morality, and the dangers of following mob mentality.
“Liberation into savagery the concealing paint brought” – Suggests that when freed from the obstacles of accountability, people will choose savagery over civility.
“The skull that gleamed as white as ever the conch had done” – The Lord of the Flies seems to have replaced the conch, symbolising how savagery has overcome civilisation.
Power
“Jack slammed his knife into a trunk” – Suggests Jack is trying to exert his power over the boys using aggression and threat.
“Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority” – Suggests he has gained power through his violence towards Piggy – making him seems threatening and dangerous.
“None of the boys could have found good reason” – This causes us to question Ralph’s validity as a leader.
“The conch moved to and fro” – symbolises the physical struggle over power.
Fear
“Jack slammed his knife into a trunk” – Suggests Jack is trying to exert his power over the boys using aggression and threat.
“Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority” – Suggests he has gained power through his violence towards Piggy – making him seems threatening and dangerous.
Innocence
“Unbearable blood” – highlights the childish innocence they still hold.
“A place where more sunshine fell” – The clearing is originally portrayed as a place of hope and freedom.
“Taken away its life like a long satisfying drink” – They have discovered the thrill of killing.
“Young Simon was murdered” – Emphasises his youth and innocence, juxtaposing it against the brutal act.
Nature
“The long scar” - the skull on the island represents the negative impact which humans have had on this paradisiacal island. The island can be seen to represent the garden of Eden demonstrating how humans always ruin paradise. This links to one of Golding’s key beliefs that humans are inherently and inextricably evil.
“The right of domination” – Conveys the fundamentally destructive nature of humans.
“The forest was savage with smoke and flame” – The boys are already having a destructive impact on the island. Also foreshadows the damage which will occur once the boys give into savagery.
“The sun gazed down like an angry eye” – Suggests nature is at odds with the boys.
