Literary Analysis 4: Lord of the Flies

1. During a war a plane containing a group of boys crashes on an island. The boys are confused and scared so two boys named Ralph and Piggy get their attention and devise a plan to be rescued. Ralph suggests that they light a fire to get rescued. The boys light a fire on top of a hill and wait. The boys eventually elect Ralph as their leader who puts Jack in charge of a group of boys who will hunt and maintain the fire. Jack's group become obsessed with fun and hunting and let the fire go out. Ralph gets angry at Jack so Jack breaks off from the group and proposes that others join him for fun and hunting. Most of the bigger boys join Jack leaving Ralph with Piggy and the Littleuns. Simon encounters the Lord of Flies (a pig head on a stick) in the middle of the forest. The Lord of Flies says no boy can escape the island because he lives in all of them. Simon discovers there is no beast and rushes to tell everyone. Ralph and Piggy have joined Jack and participated in his feast. When Simon comes out the boys kill him. Ralph tries to reason with Jack but fails. Jack kills Piggy and Ralph runs away from a group of savages trying to kill him. He runs to the beach where a naval officer stands there. All the boys begin to cry because of everything they've done while the naval officer stands there silent.
2. William Golding has a clear theme of savagery in this novel. There is conflict between maintaining civilized and succumbing to savagery. In the end it seems there is a little savagery in all of us and it grows if not checked by sanity and civilization.
3. William Golding's tone is mainly dark throughout the novel. It allows for him to bring out the savagery expressed in the novel. It is also very violent at times for the same reasons.

• "'Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!'" If this isn't violent I don't know what is. This clearly expresses the violent nature of the author's tone in his use of violent words.
  
• "The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away." This presents the dark tone of the author. It expresses the loss of hope.
  

• "'Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!'" This is just to show another example of Golding's violent tone.
  4. Symbolism is the most important literary element used throughout the novel. It led to deeper understanding of the theme and of the novel itself.
  

- The conch shell represented order and when the shell was destroyed it showed that order has been shattered as well.
- Piggy's glasses represented civilization which was also destroyed by the savages.
-The Lord of the Flies represented the inner savage in all of us. When Ralph ran away from the savages he destroyed in showing he was able to finally “escape”.

• Dialogue is used to achieve the author's tone and theme. It shows how civilization and order breaks down between the boys.
  -The arguments between the Jack and Ralph show the fight between civilization and savagery. The author's main theme. It also shows that civilization (Ralph) eventually succumbs to savagery but can be returned to civilization once more.
  -The most important dialogue is the one between Simon and The Lord of the Flies. It brings the dark tone while at the same time just hands the reader the theme on a silver platter.
  
• Dynamic characters is very important to expressing the theme of the novel. Since the theme is all about slowly turning into a savage this element is clearly needed.
  -Jack progressively succumbs to savagery and eventually become completely changed and obsessed with killing and hunting. It shows the change from being civilized to being savages.
  
• Golding uses the classes protagonist versus antagonist battle represented in the form between the boys Ralph and Jack.
  -While Ralph represents sanity, order, and civilization, Jack represents savagery. The conflict between these two show the battle between civilization (protagonist) and savagery (antagonist).
  
• Personification is slightly used in this novel to express the theme.
  -By making the pig on a stick (Lord of the Flies) talk it gives it human qualities and by doing so Golding can express the main theme of the novel.
  
• The setting is what sets up the whole theme for the novel.
  -The island in itself is a representation of no escape and seclusion from civilization. It sets up the chain of the events that leads to everyone turning into savages.
  
• Third person omniscient point of view is used to allow the reader to go into the minds of the characters as well know about all the events on the island.
  -Golding bounces from one event to another. One second your with Ralph on the beach and next your deep in the forest with the Lord of the Flies and Simon.
  -The reader is able to see Ralph's inner struggle between civilization and savagery.
  
• Diction is an essential to the author's tone (violent).
  -"'Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!'"
  -"There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws."
  
• Imagery is used to provide
  

-"surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures, itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Simon's dead body moved out toward the open sea."
-"The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist."

Characterizaton

1. The author uses direct characterizaton to describe the physical attributes of the characters and objects. For example he says Piggy is overweight and is therefore an outcast. He also says Ralph is attractive and Jack is tall and bony. The Lord of the Flies is also described directly in great detail. The greatest use of indirect characterization I came across was dialogue. To give the reader a sense of the age of the boys he makes grammatical errors on purpose when the boys speak. Also by the characters actions you can tell if their civilized or savages.
2. No the author's style of writing doesn't change when focusing on a character. It only happens when it comes to the Lord of the Flies scene with Simon, but only the tone seemed to change.
3. Ralph is considered a dynamic and round character because he does change slightly throughout the novel due to giving into savagery. He also develops a sense of leadership. He is round in that he isn't purely good or purely evil. He does give into savagery by joining Jack's hunts and feasts. He is in many ways flawed.
4. I came away feeling like I felt a person because Ralph's situation is very comparable to my own. Even though I'm not stranded on an island there are many temptations to lose one's sense of individuality and succumb to “more fun” options. The sense of connection with Ralph is what made him feel so real.