An Introduction
Briefly, English literature is divided into three periods:
The old English period (the classic works for example, Homer’s The Iliad & Odyssey),
Medieval literature e.g. Beowulf the Beowulf poet or unknown author, and
the Modern period that extended from 1550 up to the recent time.
According to the syllabus of Iraqi universities, the designers have depended the genres which appeared from 1550 up to now. This period is also divided into several eras, movements or Ages such as Renaissance, Neo-classical, Romanticism, Victorian, pre-modernism and post-modernism.
Dear senior students, in this new academic year and according to the syllabus we will study two novels Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding (1911-1993) and Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell
(1903-1950).
Lord of the Flies (Allegorical novel) as a genre written by a modernist writer is divided into 12 chapters.
1. The Sound of the Shell,
2. Fire on the Mountain,
3. Huts on the Beach,
4. Painted Faces and Long Hair,
5. Beast from Water,
6. Beast from Air,
7. Shadows and Tall Trees,
. Gift for the Darkness,
9. A View to a Death,
10. The Shell and the Glasses,
11. Castle Rock and
12. Cry of the Hunters.
we will analyse and understand them one by one sequentially.
First of all, I want you to concentrate on the following points and to discuss them
1- Elements of fiction (Novel).
2- Differences and similarities between Victorian and Modern Novel
3- Allegorical Novel: An allegory is figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than the literal. An allegorical novel uses its events and symbols to depict and comment on events or situations in real life.
The Twentieth Century: The English Novel:
World War I and its attendant disillusionment with 19th- century values radically altered the nature of the novel. In search of greater freedom of expression English writers like E. M. Forster in Howard's End (1910), D. H. Lawrence in Sons and Lovers (1913), and James Joyce in Ulysses (1922) described more explicitly than ever before the conflict between human intellect and human sexuality.
Joyce, along with Dorothy Richardson in Pilgrimage (1915-38) and Virginia Woolf in Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), carried Freud's discovery of the unconscious into art by attempting to portray human thought and emotion
through the stream of consciousness technique.
What are the various types of novels? What is the Autobiographical Novel, Epistolary Novel, Picaresque Novel, Regional Novel, Detective Novel, Science Fiction novel?
Gothic Novel: Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. The setting is often a dark and mysterious and there is a pervading an atmosphere of gloom. This was especially popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. E.g. Bram Stoker's Dracula
Bildungsroman: this is a novelistic genre that arose during the German Enlightenment. These novels trace the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the main character, usually from childhood to maturity.
Adventure Novel: The adventure novel is a genre of novels that has adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger, as its main theme.
Allegorical Novel: An allegory is figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than the literal. An allegorical novel uses its events and symbols to depict and comment on events or situations in real life.
There are hundreds of variations and styles of writing. In fact, it is virtually impossible to compose a concise list of novel types.
There are several types of novels that have stuck around and seem to have permanently claimed their stake in the fathoms of literature. Based on the length of there are generally two types of novels.
The first is a full-length novel. This is a book that is over 200 pages in length and contains a long and well developed story with a variety of characters.
The second type of novel, under this classification, is commonly referred to as a novella.
Lord of the Flies: Plot
Lord of the Flies embodies Golding's basic belief in the primeval and dark nature of mankind. It tells the story of a group of English schoolboys who have been stranded on a tropical island after.
Their plane was shot down during a war. The novel explores the idea that human nature is basically uncouth and when removed from the order and governance of civilization, humans revert to this basic behaviour. Though being fictional, a lot of the novel is partly based on Golding's experience with the real-life violence and brutality of World War II.
Free from the rules and structures of civilization and society, the boys on the island in Lord of the Flies descend into savagery. As the boys splinter into tribes, some behave peacefully and work together to maintain order and achieve common goals, while others rebel and seek only anarchy and violence. In his portrayal of the small world of the island, Golding paints a larger picture of the basic human struggle between the civilising instinct and the savage instinct.
The novel has been interpreted in many different ways since it was first published. Many critics claim that the Lord of the Flies represents the history of civilization. Others claim that the novel discusses fundamental religious (Christian) issues, such as original sin and the nature of good and evil. The novel has also been viewed
through the theories of Sigmund Freud, who taught that the human mind was the site of a constant battle among different impulses. Still others maintain that Golding wrote the novel as a criticism of the political and social institutions of the West. Although Golding's story is in a miniature version, enacted by a group of boys, it is full of allusions that cross the bounds of the small island and explores problems and questions universal to the, human experience.
Major characters:
1- Ralph
2- Piggy
3- Jack Merridew
4- Simon
5- Sam and Eric
6- Roger
7- Maurice
8- Percival
9- The Beast
10- Naval Officer
Minor characters:
1- Auntie
2- Bill
3- Henry
4- Johnny
5- Mulberry Birthmark Boy
6- Phil
7- Ralph’s Dad
Role and Meaning of each character in Lord of the Flies
Ralph: The protagonist (enthusiastic character) of the story, is one of the oldest boys on the island. He is voted leader by the group.
Littluns: This is the general term used to describe the smaller boys; there are more littluns in the island than Biguns. They are hardly mentioned in the novel, but are an ever- present element. They are mostly part of the novel so that the characters of the older boys can be represented through their treatment of the littluns.
Littluns / litlʌns / (زعاطيط او ذيول ) refer to the young boys. They represent the weak and helpless members of society, and are unpopular amongst the older boys. Most of them have unknown names and are made to look like pawns /po:n/ in a game of power. They follow the Biguns ( ألأولاد الشقاوات او الزعران ) and mainly are controlled by Jack Merridew.
Who is Jack Merridew?
Jack Merridew is the main Antagonist in Sir William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies. He battled through civilization, morality, and order, even when it resulted in his descent to madness, painting himself dramatically.
Jack Merridew: Jack was the leader of a boys' choir / ˈkwaɪə / (squad / team), and was thus used to being and expected to be in a position of leadership. He has been described as 'tall, thin, and bony...his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was…freckled, and ugly without silliness'. He has been portrayed as cruel and sadistic, and is mostly preoccupied with hunting and killing the pigs in the island. His cruelty increases as the novel progresses, and he eventually turns this cruelty on the other boys. Jack pretends to agree with the rules of order established on the island, but only if these rules allow him to inflict punishment on the other boys.
Sam and Eric/ Samneric : The twins are the only boys who remain with Ralph and Piggy to tend to the fire after the others abandon Ralph for Jack's tribe. Throughout the novel, the others consider them to be like a single individual as suggested by their combined name 'Samneric'. The boys are so closely knit that one brother often finishes the other's sentence. This brings about the angle of individualism and human uniqueness in society. "Samneric' are important to the plot as they are the ones who first discover the existence of the beast; they are frightened off of the mountain when attending to the signal fire, mistaking a dead pilot to be the beast. They support Ralph and resist joining Jack's tribe. However, they are finally seized, tied up and tortured, and forced to reveal Ralph's hideout to Jack
Piggy : Piggy is exactly the opposite of Ralph in terms of appearance. He is chubby and inelegant and does not like to indulge in physical labour because of his asthmatic condition. He is the one who discovers and recognizes the conch/ kɒŋk /ʃ/ ( محارة
/صدفة حلزونية ) at the bottom of the lagoon and suggests to Ralph that he use it to see if there were others on the island. When the boys go off on adventures, told by Ralph that he "isn't good for this sort of thing." Obviously made fun of in school, he often feels left out and isolated early on in the story. He also wore coke-bottle glasses without which he was quite blind. Though these may seem to be his shortcomings, he is the intellectual on the island. During most of the novel, he is treated as an outsider among the other boys, but is eventually accepted by them, albeit grudgingly. This is because they discover that his glasses can be used to ignite fires. Piggy's intelligence and talent soon makes Ralph, who comes to admire and respect him for his clear focus on securing their rescue from the island, closer to him. Piggy is a staunch believer in the ideal of civilization and consistently reminds the other boys
to stop behaving like savages. His untimely death marks the breakdown of civil society and the usurpation by the savage society and this is his most significant purpose in the novel. Piggy is intellectual, sensitive, and conscientious. He stands for culture within the democratic system personified by Ralph. Piggy's nickname symbolically connects him to the pigs on the island, and it is seen that he dies a terrible death when Roger murders Piggy by dropping a rock on him.
Themes:
1- Civilisation (Brit.) Civilization (Amer.) vs. Savagery: The central concern of Lord of the Flies is the conflict between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings: the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the, group against the instinct to gratify one's immediate desires, act violently to obtain supremacy over others, and enforce one's will. This conflict might be expressed in a number of ways: civilisation vs. savagery, order vs. chaos /ˈkeɪɒs/, reason vs. impulse, law vs. anarchy, or the broader heading of good vs. evil. Throughout the novel, Golding associates the instinct of civilisation with good and the instinct of savagery with evil.
Herd instinct:
The major conflict in Lord of the Flies is the struggle between Jack and Ralph. The fight for who will lead the island represents the clash between a peaceful democracy, as symbolized by Ralph, and a violent dictatorship, as symbolized by Jack. Both boys are potential leaders of the entire group, and though Jack grudgingly accepts Ralph’s leadership at first, as the plot develops their rivalry grows and intensifies until it is a struggle to the death. Ralph and Jack (and the boys who align themselves with each) represent different values and different aspects of human nature. Ralph represents respect for the law, duty, reason, and the protection of the weak, whereas Jack represents violence, cruelty, mob rule, government through fear, and tyranny. As we see Ralph’s hold over the other boys weaken and crumble until he is cast out and hunted, the story seems to be showing us that humanity’s violent and savage impulses are more powerful than civilization, which is inherently fragile. And while Ralph is rescued at the last minute by a representative of civilization in the person of the naval officer, the fact that a global war is taking place underlines the idea that civilization itself is under serious threat from the forces of violence.
Symbols:
The conch shell: the conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel.
Piggy’s Glasses: his glasses represent the power of science and intellectual endeavor in society.
The Signal Fire: The signal fire burns on the mountain, and later on the beach, to attract the notice of passing ships that might be able to rescue the boys. As a result, the signal fire becomes a barometer of the boys’ connection to civilization. In the early parts of the novel, the fact that the boys maintain the fire is a sign that they want to be rescued and return to society. When the fire burns low or goes out, we realize that the boys have lost sight of their desire to be rescued and have accepted their savage lives on the island. The signal fire thus functions as a kind of measurement of the strength of the civilized instinct remaining on the island. Ironically, at the end of the novel, a fire finally summons a ship to the island, but not the signal fire. Instead, it is the fire of savagery—the forest fire Jack’s gang starts as part of his quest to hunt and kill Ralph.
CHAPTER 1 :
Golding's first chapter describes a new world , an uninhabited tropical island , which a group of English boys discover after their plane crashes , killing all the adults on board . The first two characters described are Ralph, the tall boy with " fair hair, " and Piggy, said by Golding to be a short and " very fat " child. While Ralph seems perfectly content and almost excited with the prospect of being free of adults and on his own in this strange island, Piggy, the perpetual voice of the adult world, is terrified by the idea of having no grown - ups to take charge. Piggy continually makes references to his " auntie, " who has instilled in him the logic and reasoning of adult England.
Right away Piggy tries to make sense of their chaotic situation, telling Ralph that they need to hold a meeting and make a list of every boy's name. This again underscores Piggy's reliance on law and order to ensure his (and society's as a whole) well - being. Yet Ralph doesn't go along with Piggy completely; often he rejects Piggy's ideas, saying, “sucks to your auntie!”
Ralph, like Piggy, believes strongly in the idea that the boys ' rescue is most important. He even boasts about his dad being a commander in the Navy. Right now, the whole episode seems like a tale of Swiss Family Robinson to Ralph; he doesn't recognise the deep consequences which will quickly ensue. Golding describes Ralph's feelings of independence, narrating, " Here at last was the imagined but never fully realised place leaping into real life. Ralph's lips parted in a delighted smile ... "
Finally, Ralph and Piggy find the conch shell. After tinkering with the fascinating object for awhile Ralph eventually finds the way to call from it by blowing into the shell. Piggy quickly seizes the opportunity, telling Ralph, " We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us…”
soon hosts of boys emerge from the jungle and along the beach , following the sound of the conch . Most of the boys are similar in dress except for Jack and his gang of choir members who wear all black. Immediately Jack turns on Piggy, ridiculing him for his weight and awkwardness. It seems obvious that these two won't get along well. Also, it's soon apparent that Jack, their leader, is not willing to submit his authority to Ralph, and a direct confrontation quickly ensues when Roger calls for a vote for chief. Although all of the choir members vote for Jack in grudging obedience, Ralph wins the majority of votes mostly because he's the one who holds the conch.
Eventually Ralph and Jack (who seems to function as a co leader of sorts, though not officially) decide to take a tour of the island in order to determine that it is an island and also to make sure there isn't anyone else on it. Soon Simon joins them and the trio of exploration is complete. During the journey, the three experience a peaceful contentment of brotherhood and common purpose. Golding narrates, " Eyes shining, mouths open, triumphant, they savoured the right of domination. They were lifted up: were friends. " Here, the reader feels a genuine sense of hope that the boys, despite their differences, will ultimately get along and cooperatively find a mode of rescue
Golding concludes his first chapter with an eerie foreshadowing when he details the near killing of a pig which the trio discovers on the trail. Jack is especially enamoured by the pig, feeling a creeping desire to slay it with his knife. Yet Jack's anarchist, hunting influence hasn't had sufficient time to conquer the voice of reason articulated by Piggy.
All three boys are afraid of actually taking the life of a living thing. Golding articulates their feelings, saying, " They knew very well why he hadn't: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood. " Soon Jack's attitude will change when the desire to kill transcends the necessity to obey.
CHAPTER 2
Golding's second chapter begins with a second, nightly meeting following the return of Ralph and the others from their trip around the island. Aside from a few exceptions, everyone respects The conch as the symbol of Authority and it's soon established that anyone speaking with it in his hands must be listened to.
First Ralph tells the assembly that indeed they are on a deserted island. He doesn't seem particularly upset at the idea that they are on their own; in fact, he relishes the notion, confident in his own leadership abilities. Many routine things are established, such as the rule about speaking with the conch and respecting authority. Soon, Jack insists that the boys create an army of hunters, which he will lead to find food for the boys. Piggy, seemingly uninterested in this, takes the conch and addresses the crowd through his thick glasses, warning them that this is no game and that no one knows where they are, so a signal fire is of crucial importance. Ralph quickly agrees, bolstering Piggy's opinion. Now that all the major players have had their chance to speak, many of the ""littluns"" (slang for little ones) push a small boy with a mulberry-coloured birthmark forward to tell Ralph and the others about the "beastie" which he and the other ""littluns"" are having nightmares about. After he admits his fears about the snake-like beast, there's an uproar of laughter and Ralph and the other older kids quickly dispel the rumour, saying it's just in their imaginations.
Finally, the boys decide to build the fire, placing it on the top of the mountain. Although there's plenty of tinder and help carrying branches, the boys soon realise that they have no way to light it. Luckily, Piggy comes to the rescue, and the boys use his spectacles to start the signal fire. Soon there is more strife on the island, leading to a confrontation on the mountain between Jack and Piggy which Ralph
quickly diffuses. It seems Jack and his hunters don't give Piggy any respect, making fun of his looks and his obsession with the conch as a tool of his own authority. Quickly fire spreads outside of the fire-pit, leading to the burning of quite a sizable piece of the mountain. Piggy criticizes the others for this, calling them "little kids." He continues, "How can you expect to be rescued if you don't put first things first and act proper?" Ominously, the "littlun" with the birthmark vanishes, leaving Piggy and the others worried. Unfortunately, the real terror is yet to come for the boys on the island.
CHAPTER 3
Golding's third chapter begins with Jack hunting for pigs in the jungle. Meanwhile, Ralph and Simon keep busy working on the shelters. Ralph becomes upset that he and Simon are doing all of the work, realising that everyone else is "bathing, or eating, or playing." Soon the rivalry between Ralph and Jack grows tenser when Ralph criticises Jack for neither helping with the shelters nor having any success as a hunter. Ralph asks Jack indignantly, "Don't you want to be rescued? All you can talk about is pig, pig, pig!" This is only a foreshadowing of the tension yet to come between these two. Later in the conversation, Jack admits to Ralph that he too seems to sense the presence of the beast on the island. He explains, "If you're hunting sometimes you catch yourself feeling as if...you're not hunting, but- being hunted, as if something's behind you all the time in the jungle." This is very telling because indeed there is something hunting Jack- himself. The evil nature of his own soul is preying on its good side- exemplified in Piggy and Ralph. All of the boys on the island (except perhaps Piggy) feel the beast, the anarchical side of themselves, growing in one way or another. Jack however is the most susceptible to this spirit.
The last part of the chapter gives the reader a sense of Simon's strange behaviour. Simon already is portrayed as a martyr of sorts, though in a very small way in this case. He reaches up to the higher branches to give the ""littluns"" fruit from the jungle. Later, he crawls beneath the undergrowth, leaving the others to be by himself in this mysterious tropical paradise.
CHAPTER 4:
The beginning of chapter four, details the events of life as a "littlun". Percival, Johnny, and Henry, three ""littluns"" who suffer from unknown terror during the night but play happily during the day, are on the beach, near the ocean water, engaged in their usual trivialities. Soon Roger and Maurice, two of Jack's hunters, begin to harass the boys, kicking over their sand-castles and throwing stones near them. These events are precursors to the actual violence Roger and Maurice will use later in the novel to threaten Ralph and Piggy. Yet for the time being, there is an invisible wall of protection around Henry, whom Roger throws stones near. Roger's conditioning of the old world is still present but will soon wear off.
The second major theme of the chapter is the adoption of face paint by Jack and the hunters. Wearing masks of green and other colors, the boys feel compelled to hunt the pig, being much more brave than normal. Golding explains that with the masks, the boys were "liberated from shame and self-consciousness."
Meanwhile, Piggy is thinking about a sun-dial. This again shows how Piggy is thinking logically about tools which could help the boys. Yet not even Ralph accepts this, saying that it's not practical. The other boys on the island dislike Piggy in general. Golding explains, "There had grown up tacitly among the "biguns" the opinion that Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labour." The others hate Piggy because he is the only one (except Ralph) unwilling to give up the logic and order of the old world of adults.
Soon the rivalry between the two schools of thought is again shows itself in conflict when Jack and his hunters abandon the fire to hunt. When the fire goes out, Piggy
and Ralph are enraged, seeing a ship which wasn't able to see them because there was no smoke signal. When confronted, Jack shrugs off the whole thing, starting a group chant and dance with his hunters concerning the Pig hunt. Golding explains the two sides, saying, "There was the brilliant world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill, and there was the world of longing and baffled common sense."
CHAPTER 5:
Chapter five begins with Ralph deep in thought about what he should do as chief. It seems that Ralph is losing his authority over many of the boys, especially Jack and the hunters. Though Piggy is always at his side to remind him, a still graver problem is emerging for Ralph: he is forgetting the purpose of the signal fire. Like Jack and the hunters who have already forgotten, Ralph too is growing more and more susceptible to the beast's power of persuasion.
Soon Ralph calls another meeting to discuss matters. Here, it's made obvious that everyone is becoming more fearful of the beast. Even Jack's hunters say that they dream of the beast at night.
Soon killing the pigs is associated with killing Piggy. Although the boys make a joke of this, Golding is very clever in the way he links the two ideas. Indeed, killing the pigs is like killing Piggy because with each successful hunt, Piggy loses more and more power as an advocate of order. This is evident from the partial breaking of his glasses. Giving into the beast by hunting is parallel to betraying Piggy, who rejects hunting as a worthwhile endeavour.
During the meeting there is a continued and heightened sense that the beast is real. One of the ""littluns"" believes that the beast comes from the sea. This fear is further strengthened when Simon, the first of the "biguns" to do so, admits the possibility
of there being a beast on the island. This makes sense, since Simon is the only one of the boys with the moral conscious to identify the beast when he perceives it. Indeed Simon has a greatly heightened perception of matters the other boys can't understand. This is made clearer later in the novel.
Piggy, too, senses something, though not as easily as Simon. Piggy confides to Ralph his fear of Jack. He says, "I'm scared of him, and that's why I know him. If you're scared of someone you hate him but you can't stop thinking about him..." Soon Piggy tells Ralph that Jack hates him too, and this is the first time Ralph realises that indeed he is hated by Jack. It's at this time that Ralph clearly sees the distinction between Jack and himself.
Chapter 6
The chapter starts with a very horrible introduction (Gothic scene). He details the night-time arrival of a parachutist onto the mountain of the island. It's often speculated that this is the plane's pilot, yet Golding never confirms this one way or the other. The man in the parachute is dead: that's for sure. narrates, "There was a sudden bright explosion and corkscrew trail across the sky; then darkness again and stars. There was a speck above the island, a figure dropping swiftly beneath a parachute, a figure that hung with dangling limbs." Golding "Samneric', who are tending the fire, see this figure and run down to the shelters to tell the frightening news to Ralph. When morning comes, Jack and Ralph decide to seek out the beast at Castle Rock, and if they don't find him there, they decide to search the mountain. Ralph leads the way, and Jack follows, yet when they reach the top no beast is in sight. This frustrates all the boys, but especially Ralph, who vents his frustrations on Jack. He tells the hunter, "We want smoke. And you go wasting your time. You roll rocks." The hunters want to stay at Castle Rock to build a fort and roll more rocks ( Savagery), but Ralph convinces them to follow him to the mountain. (civilization)
CHAPTER 7
This chapter begins with the boys following the winding pig-runs, up the side of the mountain to its peak. Though everyone nervous about confronting the beast, somehow Simon knows that Ralph will make it back alright. When Ralph tells Simon he's "batty," Simon gets angry, again insisting that Ralph will return from the mountain safely. What’s strange about this dialogue is the fact that Simon never predicts his own safe return. Like Christ on the Garden of Gethsemane, Simon knows that he will die soon.
On the trip to the mountain, which also serves as a pig hunt, Ralph sees a pig and spears it. He is shocked and enamored by his own success, saying, "I hit him! The spear stuck in..." Unfortunately, the pig escapes, wounded, and Jack's tribe is upset at Ralph for not bringing it down.
To make up for their loss, Jack and the hunters decide to pretend to be killing the pig, using Robert as the sow. Even Ralph can't resist the temptation of killing. Golding explains the motives in the minds of the boys. "The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering."
Soon Jack decides to go to the mountain alone (he's the only one willing) to kill the beast. After a while Jack comes running back to the group. Golding narrates, "There was a slithering noise high above them, the sound of someone taking giant and dangerous strides on rock or ash. Then Jack found them, and was shivering and croaking in a voice they could just recognize as his. ‘I saw a thing on top.’"
Eventually everyone decides to go up and look together. What they see is nightmarish. Golding again narrates, "Behind them the silver of moon had drawn clear of the horizon. Before them. something like a great ape was sitting asleep with its head between its knees. Then the wind roared in the forest, there was confusion in the darkness and the creature lifted its head,
holding toward them the ruin of a face." Quickly everyone runs back to the shelters on the shore in sheer terror.
CHAPTER 8
Golding's eighth chapter begins with a meeting on the shore following the previous night of fright and unknown terror. It seems the beast is very close to the fire, which has long since gone out (Gothic scene). Ralph suggests that the beast doesn't want them rescued; indeed, he doesn't.
Soon Jack confronts Ralph in front of the assembly. He tells his hunters the lie that Ralph said they were "no good." Then he calls for another vote for chief. When no one votes for him, he becomes suddenly embarrassed and starts crying (يصرخ ). He tells them, "I'm not going to play any longer. Not with you. I'm not going to be a part of Ralph's lot."
When Jack leaves, three things occur: Ralph thinks that matters are hopeless; Piggy suggests building the fire on the shore; Simon decides to confront the beast.
Piggy is thrilled that Jack, his arch enemy, has left Ralph and the others. Golding narrates, "Piggy was so full of delight and expanding liberty in Jack's departure, so full of pride in his contribution to the good of society, that he helped to fetch wood." Soon Ralph and Piggy realise that many of the others are slowly and silently deserting camp to join Jack. Maurice, Bill, and Roger (Jack's strongest supporters) are first to go. Simon has also left but for a different reason- he wants to find the beast, not to kill it, but to find out what it is and what it wants.
Meanwhile Jack and his dedicated followers go back to their hunt for pigs. When they see a large sow with piglets, they attack her, throwing dozens of spears into her body until she finally collapses in the middle of an open field. Yet this kill is different!!! Golding explains, "Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her. The butterflies still danced, preoccupied in the centre of the clearing." This
marks a major turning point for the adolescent boys. The pig satisfies not only their desire to kill, but also their sexual need. This is further exemplified when Robert boasts, "Right up her ass!"
Soon the boys cut off the head of the pig and leave it poking up from the ground on a stick sharpened at both ends. This is a sacrifice to the beast, or so they say. Simon also is nearby, but for a different reason. Now he can confront the beast in his own way. Soon Simon begins hearing statements from the beast. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon "I know that" when Simon thinks to himself about the "infinite cynicism of adult life."
Eventually the beast begins speaking to Simon more directly. The Lord of the Flies tells him, "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?" This overwhelms Simon, seeing himself inside the mouth of the beast, losing consciousness and falling down. Meanwhile, Jack and his hunters in face paint, steal fire for Ralph and Piggy.
CHAPTER 9
The chapter begins with Simon sleeping in the creepers. Golding explains, "With the running of the blood Simon's fit passed into the weariness of sleep."
Yet Simon is much changed from the preceding affairs concerning his conversation with the beast. Again Golding explains, "The usual brightness was gone from his eyes and he walked with a sort of glum determination like an old man."
Simon has lost his innocence; he knows more than anyone else about the beast, which is taking its toll on his body. The parachute man is soon swarmed with the flies. This is quite fitting- the order that the man represents is being replaced with the chaos of the beast. This also is parallel to the pain Piggy gets in his head at this time. His logic is being impaired as the beast grows in power and control of their island society.
Soon Simon decides to tell the others about the beast. Golding narrates Simon's thoughts. "The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible."
The change in power from the parachutist to the Lord of the Flies mirrors the change in power from Ralph to Jack. Golding follows, "Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms; authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape." Here, the author proves that Jack has replaced Ralph as chief, not democratically, but practically. Soon all the boys, including Ralph and Piggy, congregate around a bonfire where the sow is being cooked and eaten. During another of their pagan-like chanting ceremonies where they pretend to kill the pig, Simon appears. In the darkness the boys believe that Simon is the beast, so they descend upon him, slowly murdering the poor boy. Simon's body gradually floats out to sea. Here the Christ metaphor for Simon is strongest.
CHAPTER 10
Like the opening scene of the novel, chapter ten begins with two figures alone on the beach- Ralph and Piggy. Both of them are very frightened about their future; both feel guilty for taking part in the previous night's feast which turned out into Simon's murder. Piggy won't believe that he had anything to do with it, saying that it was just an unfortunate accident.
Soon 'Samneric' appear, helping to keep up the fire on the shore, Ralph seems to forget the meaning of the fire, however. Golding explains, "Ralph tried indignantly to remember. There was something good about a fire. Something overwhelmingly good." Here again is proof that Ralph is becoming increasingly weary as the power of the beast infects his soul. Piggy, of course, comes to the rescue, reminding Ralph that the fire is the only way for the boys to be saved. That night, Jack and his hunters raid Ralph's camp, taking the fire and stealing Piggy's glasses. Soon the adult world of logic will be destroyed.
CHAPTER 11
This chapter begins with Ralph, Piggy, and the twins recovering from the previous night's battle with Jack and the hunters. Ralph blows desperately at the fire, but there are no sparks. Without Piggy's glasses there is no way to start another fire either. The situation has become hopeless for Ralph and his few remaining followers.
Piggy soon shows his rage and contempt for Jack when he tells Ralph, "I got the conch. I'm going to that Jack Merridew an' tell him, I am." Ralph and the twins decide to follow Piggy's lead and confront Jack and the hunters at Castle Rock. They decide to carry spears while Piggy brings the conch, his last semblance of order. When the two tribes meet each other at the hunter's fortress of Castle Rock, words and stones are hurled back and forth, eventually leading to a fight between the two chiefs. This fight ends in a draw, but 'Samneric' are quickly taken as prisoners. This inspires Jack and his hunters to become more aggressive. When Piggy screams at them in desperation, "Which is better- to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?", the hunters are enraged. Roger, Jack's torture specialist, rolls a giant boulder down the hill, striking Piggy head on. Instantly Piggy's body is hurled over the ledge, crashing onto a rock below revealing his blood and guts before his corpse is washed away with a wave from the ocean.
Ralph, in savage-like panic, crashes through the foliage, escaping the situation which has killed his only source of encouragement.
CHAPTER 12
In this chapter, Ralph loses his sanity, not believing the events he has witnessed. Ralph approaches the fortress again at night, when 'Samneric' are serving as guards. They tell Ralph that Jack is planning a hunt for him tomorrow, and he will surely be killed unless he finds a clever place to hide. Ralph tells them that he'll hide in the thicket near Castle Rock.
The next morning, Roger sharpens a stick at both ends, signalling the time for another big hunt and showing that now Ralph has become the beast, the boys must kill. Soon 'Sarnneric' tell the others where Ralph is hiding, betraying their loyalty to him. This devastates Ralph, who can't reason any longer. Golding explains his feelings, "There was no Piggy to talk sense. There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch.' The rest of the chapter is dedicated to the hunt which almost kills Ralph several times. In desperation, Ralph runs out into the ocean, trying to escape Jack and the savages. To Ralph's surprise, he almost runs into a naval officer, who asks what is going on and where the adults are. Ralph tells him that two people have been killed. The puzzled officer takes Ralph and the others aboard, and their deadly battle is over. Golding explains, "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy." In this way, though the boys are rescued, the novel has anything but a happy ending. Indeed, Golding's dark vision of man has come true: all men are inherently evil.
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Q/ How are politicians and politics portrayed in lord of the flies Metaphorically according to the cognitive meaning of the author?
Q/What are
the differences between how the littluns and the biguns act when they're on the
island
Q/ /How to
prove that the concept of herd instinct has a social dimension? The conceptual
meaning
Q/The major conflict is the struggle between civilization ? represent by Ralph and savage ??represent by Jack.
Q/what is the
role of “Irony” in “Lord of the flies”? Is there an ironical scene in this
chapter 4?
Q/ We have different types of WAR in the
novel. It can be political, social and psychological. Give your point of view
in few lines.
Q/ Civilization separates
man from the animals by teaching him to think and make choices. When
Civilization slips away and man reverts to his more primitive nature, his
identity disintegrates. Be prepared to discuss the cognitive meaning of the
theme of "the Loss of Identity"
Q/Ralph and Piggy
represent civilization; on the other hand, Jack and the other hunters represent
savagery. So, what is about the role of Simon ?
Q/William Golding wrote
Lord Of The Flies to show that evil is inherent in all men. Discuss
Q/ How are the characters
of Ralph and Jack used by William Golding to highlight the central figure in
LORD OF THE FLIES?
Q/Wide differences of
temperament and outlook between Ralph and Jack. Discuss
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