Violence and Savagery Flashcards
(9 cards)
Key points about violence throught the novel
- Violence is subtle and playful
- Primal instincts surface and the hunters become more controlling
- Brutality becomes dominant and the boys are savages
Goldings intentions through the theme of violence and the boys descent into savagery
- savagery is a human instinct that is taught from society - the boys become influenced by each other
- even children if left unchecked are capable of greeat evil and brutality - comparison to adults in war
Reader response to boys descent into savagery
Discomfort and Disturbed
Sadness for Simon and Piggy’s deaths
Fearful of the boys capacity for violence
‘Discarder their cloaks’
‘Painted faces and long hair’
Chapter 4
- Change in appearence represents descent into savagery
- Cloaks represented discipline
- losing sight of old values
- painted faces are metaphorical - shield there actions and hide true selves
‘kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood’
Chapter 4
- Collective violence and mob mentality
- Repetition makes it a chant which is hypnotic
- Imperative verbs are forceful and commanding
- Sibliance ‘spill his blood’ - sinister
‘Laughter became bloodthirsty Snarling’
Chapter 4
- Metaphor compares the boys laughter to wild animals
- Shows primal instincts and animalistic/predatory nature
- ‘snarling’ - aggressive and sinister
‘Sharpened a stick at both ends’
Chapter 8
- consumed by power
- foreshadows a selft destructive society
- potential to harm human or animal
‘Tearing of teeth and claws’
Chapter 9
- metaphor highlights primitive and animilistic nature
- Alliteration draws attention to the violent actions
Key violent events in the novel
Killing the pig and putting it on a stick - violence becomes a source of poewr and pleasure
Simons Death - Boys loss of innocence
Piggys Death - end of civilisation
Hunting Ralph - hunting a human like an animal
The use of fire - lost original goals
