NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
WILLIAM GOLDING'S
LORD OF THE
FLIES
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS
(Undergraduate Thesis)
Submitted to: Assoc. Pro{. Gül CELKAN
Submitted by: Yakup EGELİ
TRNC
1999
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Lord of the Flies: A Critical Analysis of William Golding's Novel, Summaries of English Language
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS ... William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies (1954), since it is a precious work ... illumines the past of a character or characters.
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NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
WILLIAM GOLDING'S
LORD OF THE FLIES
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS
(Undergraduate Thesis)
Submitted to: Assoc. Pro{. Gül CELKAN
Submitted by: Yakup EGELİ
TRNC
CONTENTS
- Introduction 1. Preface
- The Author and His Works
- Background
- Plot
- Style and Structure
- Chapter Summaries
- Characters
- Conclusion
- 1 O. Bibliography
INTRODUCTION Lord of the Flies by William Golding, was published in 1954. In this novel a group of boys on a desert island return to a savage state. It shows the animal in all of us, and caused great shock when it was first published.
The novel is divided into three sections; The first one deals with the arrival of the boys on the island, the assembly, the early decisions about what to do, the hope of rescue, and the pleasure of day to day events. The second part of the novel begins with the arrival of the dead airman. Immediately the fear is crystallized, all the boys are affected, discussion has increasingly to give way to action. The third part of the book, and the most terrible, explores the meaning and consequences of this creation of evil. Complete moral anarchy is unleashed by Simon's murder.
Lord of the Flies is a valuable novel to us, not because 'it tells us about', the darkness of man's heart, but because it show it, because it is a work of art which enables us to enter into the world it creates and live at the level of a deeply perceptive and intelligent man.
WILLIAM GOLDING William Golding was born in 191 1 in a small Cornish village, and his early childhood thus coincided with the first World War. He was educated at Marlborough Grammar School, going on from there to Brasenose College, Oxford, where he need English. He graduated in 1933, afterwards becoming a teacher. He was married in 1939. In 1940 he joined the navy, and during the next five years he saw much action at sea, witnessing the sinking of the Bismarck and taking port in the D-Day landings on the French coast. He left the navy in 1945, and resumed teaching at Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury, where he remained until 1962. He enjoys sailing, and as a recreation taught himself Classical Greek. He visits Greece whenever it is possible, and has lectured in the United States. A widely-known author, who has travelled much, he yet shuns the public gaze and tries to avoid publicity. He believes that 'The book's the thing, independent of the author'.
His work Lord of the Flies shows the animal in all of us, a work of realism. The Inheritors (1955), is about the encounter of Neanderthal Man and Homo Spains. Pincher Martin (1956) is about a torpedoed sailor marooned alone on a desolate rock in the mid-Atlantic. The Spire (1964), is a powerful allegorical tale about the building of a cathedral spire on shaky foundations, is about the ambigious nature of human art and aspiration. The Pyramid (1967), is a social novel. Darkness Visible (1979), is about 'England' filled with Mittanic and apocalyptic allusions. Rites of Passage (1980), set on an old sailing ship voyaging out to colonial Australia during the Napoleonic Wars. Free Fall (1959) involves a Gestapo interrogation in a prison camp.
BACKGROUND
Background of the novel should be called foreground and background.
The foreground is the island, described paradiasically and realistically by Golding against which is unacted the tragedy of little boys becoming little savages. The background is the civilization, they have rejected and forgotten in their lust for blood. The theme of the book is that human beings are removed from savagery only by the restraints of civilization, applied in the first place by grown-ups in authority over children.
PLOT A group of boys fall in an island, due to a plan-wrecked. They make an assembly to elect a chief in which Ralph is chosen as the leader. They find a conch which symbolized the law and order. They need fire to protect themselves from wild animals and to be seen by the ships. They light the fire by means of Prggy's glasses. As they light the fire, they splitted the group into two sections. The reason is to choose hunters and to kill animals in order to survive. Littuns believe that there are beasts on the island and they come from the sea. One night one of the twins saw something that has fallen down from the air. They all think that it is a beast, infact it was a parachutist. Next day, they make an expedition to the place where the parachutist fall. While they were searching for the beast they saw something on a tree which seems like a great ape, it was the death body of parachutist.
Jack who was the leader of the hunters killed a big pig, and they decided to sacrifice the head of the pig to the beast, to live in safe.
Jack can not come to terms with the leadership of Ralph, therefore the former rebels. Ralph and Jack fought and seperated their own groups. Jack become a chief but he did not get the conch, Ralph is also leader and has the conch. One day Piggy went to Jack's castle to ask for his glasses back and Ralph accompanied him. When they arrive at the castle, Ralph is attacked but he escaped. In the evening his follows left him alone. He learns that he will be hunted, like a pig. Next morning Ralph see the savages, understand that death is near. So, he ran away. He was fleeing from the flames and spears,
STYLE AND STRUCTURE
STYLE
In Lord of the flies there are several styles. The most outstanding feature is the incidence of metaphor. The metaphors or images are frequently in connected sequences. One imagery sequence extends throughout the novel, and this is particularly subtle in its underlining of what the boys have exchanged for civilization. The images which recall the common places, or even luxuries of home, or domestic comfort and security; the extend of sunlight is like the light going out: all these serve to emphasize what has taken for granted, what is no longer available to see, or touch, or feel.
Another feature of the style is the ability to convey the atmosphere; sound 'by onomatopeic words', 'some self-coined' ; by the emphasis on certain colours, whether they be in the background 'the red rocks' or the foreground 'the black caps and cloaks of the chairboys'.
STRUCTURE
One of the most natural thing in Lord of the Flies is the dialogue. More subtly, the dialogue is used to emphasize traits of character. For example, Jack's manner of speech is quick and Jerky, reflecting the impetous and irresponsible activity of which he is capableı and into which he is to lead the other boys, or Piggy's speech is laborious and logical.
As we read Lord of the Flies we will realize how concisely written it is. All the dialogues fits mood, character, background in civilization, and they give way to a formal utterance once the tribe becomes a tribe and ceases to be a group of society-conditioned boys. Occasionally William Golding uses a technique which is common place in film production, the flashback sequence illumines the past of a character or characters.
For convenience the novel may be divided structurally into three sections:
- The arrival, and the period immediately afterwards, in which the island is a kind of paradise with metaphorical suggestions and associations with the Garden of Eden and innocence.
- The beginning of the break up of their own hastily erected society on the island, the differences of outlook, the arrival of the 'beast' from without and, so to speak, from within.
- The throwing off of civilization by the majority, which leads to murder, persecution, bestiality and the practice of primitive rites.
Ralph announces that he, Jack and Simon will explore the Island. Piggy wishes to go, but has to remain and take names on Ralph's orders. They make their way through the undergrowth to the top of the mountain, and, looking down, can confirm that they are on an island. They are able on an island. They are able, in their exhilaration, to lever a large rock over the edge and into the forest. From the top they can see the scar in the forest where they landed, and they can see also the platform jutting into the lagoon with the minute figures of the other boys on it. They exult in the pride of ownership - it is 'their' island. But as they go down they find a piglet caught ın some creepers. Jack doesn't kill it and the others know why; it is 'because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood'.
CHAPTER FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN Ralph summons an assembly, and reports that they are indeed on an island. They describe the encounter with the piglet and establish the rule that the speaker must hold the conch. Piggy points out to the assembly to the realities of their situation, and a little boy is induced to hold the shell. He wants to know what is going to be done about the snake thing and beastie. Jack says that if there were beast they would hunt it and kill it, and Ralph then gets the major point - their need to be rescued. He tells them that they must have fire, and there is an immediate reaction: the assembly disperses - to the disgust of Piggy- following Jack is search of wood.
Jack and Ralph find themselves working together, and a great collection of dead and decaying tree is made. Now comes the embarrassment of lighting the fire ( no one has the practical sense of Jack Martin in The Coral Island) until Jack has the idea of using Piggy's glasses. The fire starts, but collapses. Enmity between Piggy and Jack is obvious in this situation. The fire lit by the boys has got out of hand, and must be allowed to burn out. Piggy takes the conch, and points out the need for them all to put first things first. They need shelters, they need a proper fire; he also notes that the boy with the mulberry - coloured birthmark has disappeared. Creepers in flames in scare the littluns, for they look like snakes. The 'good' island, the paradise, is beginning to recede.
CHAPTER PAINTED FACES AND LONG HAIR The boys gradually get used to the pattern of the days on the island, avoiding the heat, seeing mirages when they fail to avoid it and spending tortured nights. They built castles, and are ocasionally interfered with by biguns like Maurice. Jack has the idea of disguising himself so that the pigs will no sense him when he is hunting. He uses white clay, red and charcoal, and is so transformed that he does not recognize himself.
Meanwhile Ralph, Simon and Piggy discuss matters. Piggy is full of ideas, most of which Ralph doesn't take seriously. Ralph is brooding after the swim, when he suddenly sees smoke on the horizon. Piggy can see no smoke from their own fire on the mountain, and when they get to the top of mountain, they find that it has gone out. Just then they see the hunters, who should have kept the fire going, returning with the gutted carcase of their first killing, a pig. Juck hits Piggy and breakes his glasses, the reason for it is letting the fire out. Ralph resents what he knows to be a 'verbal trick'. He remains silent while the fire is relit. The pig is roasted, and Jack recounts the details of the hunt and the killing. Ralph, disgusted, announces that he is calling an assembly.
CHAPTER BEAST FROM WATER Ralph summons what is to be the most critical assembly since their arrival. He thinks out their situation, but experiences occasional lapses in concentration. Ralph tells the boys that they should be prepared to die rather than let the fire out, and he rules that the fire should lit only on the mountain. Finally he deals with tear, and suggests that they talk it out of their systems.
Jack takes the conch, and immediately attacks the littuns for their fear. He says that there is no beast on the island.
Piggy is next to take the conch, and he says that the littuns who talked about the beast should be heared. The littuns talks about the twisty things, and has his experience interpreted as a nightmare by Ralph. Then follows the suggestion that the beast comes out of the sea. Ralph gets the conch, and there is talk of ghosts. He is made to realize that many of the boys believe in ghosts. Piggy urges Ralph to summon the assembly again by blowing the conch, but Ralph is cautious. Piggy reveals to him that he is scared of Jack, and warns Ralph that Jack hates him. They bewail the fact that there are no adults to help them.
CHAPTER 7 SHADOWS AND ALL TREES The search for the beast continues and Ralph dreams. He longs to be clean, and contemplates the dirt of the hunters, and then the prospect of the island from a new angle. Simon tells him that he will get back all night, but Ralph tells him he is 'batty'. Ralph dreams again of his hoppiest home times as they press on. He is roused by a chorging pig, and throws his wooden spear at it, he wanted to taste the delight that Jack has experienced in his killing. For a time he thinks the boar he has struct is the beast they are after, but Jack soon corrects him. They decide to explore the mountain to see if the beast is up there. They reach the higher slopes, and Ralph decides that someone must go back to Piggy and the littluns, Simon volunteers. When they come near the top, Jack decides to go alone. Ralph joines him, and they in turn one joined by Roger. They reach the burnt patch, then Jack leaves them. He reappears to tell them that he has seen something on the top. Ralph goes to investigate, with Jack and Roger. They see something 'like a great ape', and flee.
CHAPTERS GIFT FOR THE DARKNESS Ralph reports back to Piggy and the rest; inevitably, he distorts wahat he has seen. Jack calls an assembly. He launches an attack upon Ralph, saying that he is not a proper chief and that he is like Piggy. He asks the assembly in effect to make him chief; there is no movement from the boys, and Jack goes off saying that he is 'not going to play no longer'.
The assembly continues with Simon surprisingly taking the conch and suggesting that they climb the mountain. Then Piggy suggests making a fire where they are, since they can no longer have it on the mountain. They built one near the platform. Piggy tries to reassure Ralph by saying that they can do without them. Then Piggy and the twins bring him fruit for a feast.
Meanwhile Jack is organizing the boys who have come to him. The hunt begins, and eventually a large pig is killed. Jack decides sacrifice the head of the pig to the beast. Back near the platform Ralph and Piggy have a discussion about why things break up, at that time Jack announces that he is going to have a feast, and says may be prepared to let them take part in it.