Irony - Chapter 10-12 (Themes/Symbols)

There seems to be an overwhelming amount of ironic situations within this book. The most obvious one in the last chapter of the book is that the fire that finally gets them rescued by the naval officer was made in the first place to try to kill Ralph. It seems so paradoxical that after all this time of Ralph nagging on all the other boys to get the fire going and to keep it lit that in the end the reason they get saved is not because of Ralph’s efforts to make the fire but because the rest of the boys are trying to kill Ralph, and an officer sees the "smoke" (Golding 224). As well I think it is ironic how the reader doesn’t truly understand how important piggy who seems so insignificant really is the one keeping the peace of the island. We see as the book progressed how much piggy grew in his confidence and his courage. He was always the one who believed most strongly in the conch and its power to unify the boys and to keep them working together in a collective democracy. When Piggy is killed though the last hopes of democracy are shattered, "there [is] no Piggy to talk sense" (218). It was evident that Piggy as well as the conch were the only things that kept some kind of democracy alive. Lastly another ironic event to me is how these boys who at the beginning seemed so well mannered and well bred turned into such savages. Initially Jack and his “choir” seemed so uptight and well mannered. They seemed very prim and proper and it is very ironic how in the end they ended up turning into such savages. It demonstrates how living on a desolate island for an extended period of time can change a person and in some cases drive them to do things they would never normally have done. In general I believe this book emphasized the unexpected. It demonstrated how we cannot be quick to judge a situation because we never know how one will react. Irony seemed to be a very common theme within the story.

Post #3 - Important Quote

“Who thinks Ralph oughtn’t to be chief? He looked expectantly at the boy’s ranged round, who had frozen. Under the palms there was deadly silence. Hand up said jack strongly, whoever wants Ralph not to be chief? (Golding 139)

This quote symbolizes a drastic change in the story. It is the beginning of segregation and nearing the point of two opposing enemies on the island. Jacks over confident and head strong personality is starting to get the best of him and his arrogance about his superiority to Ralph is increasing. This quote is very important because it gives the reader the idea of the events to follow. It almost foreshadows that there is going to be segregation between the boys from this point on. While this constant battle for power between Ralph and Jack has been going on consistently throughout the novel, I believe that this is the turning point where things will actually start happening between the two of them instead of just talk. Also when Jack leaves and some of the boys from the choir join him it demonstrates where their loyalty lies. When Jack and the two boys return to the camp and steal part of the fire and as he leaves he says “The chief has spoken” (155) one starts to understand Jacks desire for power which he could never achieve under Ralph. It seems now as though there are two teams, with Ralph leading one and Jack leading the other. While it was surprising that Jack left so abruptly, it also seemed that this event was inevitable. Both Ralph and Jack are very confident and stubborn. They like having things done their way, and with Ralph as chief Jack was forced to abide by what Ralph said even when he did not agree with it. It would only be a matter of time before Jack became fed up and rebelled against Ralph.

Analysis #2 - Fear...

A seemingly recurring theme in these past few chapters is fear. Fear has been demonstrated mainly through the "beast" and the many shapes that the boys have warped this monster into. I believe that beast symbolizes the boys adolescence and it demonstrates how they are still kids even though they are making so many grown up decisions and taking such responsibility and leadership like bringing the water "from the stream in those coco-nut shells under fresh leaves” (Golding 85), building the shelters, trying to maintain a fire, and designating bathroom areas. Many of the decisions being made give the boys a facade of maturity and wisdom, but this “beastie” continues to remind the reader that they are all still a bunch of kids. The “beast” has been believed to be a monster, an underwater creature, as well as a ghost. “The assembly looked with him; considered the vast stretched of water, the high sea beyond, unknown indigo of infinite possibility; heard silent the sough and whisper from the reef” (94) demonstrates how even though many of the boys don’t wish to believe what they are hearing about the suggestion that the beast comes from the sea, their creative minds make them believe something they should know is not real. The boys seem as if they want to look tough or brave by saying they “don’t believe in the beast” (95) but it is evident that as the comments of the beast continually arise, many of the boys seem to be getting increasingly worried. The problem seems to come to a climax when the twins, Sam and Eric come across what they are sure is the beast. “Soon the darkness was full of claws, full of awful unknown and menace” (107) illustrates how the boys fear engulfs them when they hear of the beast. They haven’t actually seen it and still their fear gets the best of them. As well, adolescence is reiterated when Sam and Eric are retelling their story of he beast saying “There were eyes-’ Teeth-’ Claws-’ we ran as fast as we could-’ Bashed into things-’ The beast followed us-’ I saw it slinking behind the trees-’ Nearly touched me-’ (109). Right now this beast symbolizes the boys fear and uncertainty. It illustrates the fact that these boys are still young.

Character Analysis (Ch 1-3)

Analysis of characters in “Lord of the Flies”

The main characters so far seem to be Ralph, Jack and Piggy. It is evident that their personalities and character traits will cause problems in the future. They have been on this island for a short period of time and already there have been many arguments and disputes. I believe that ultimately the vast contrast between characters and their beliefs and ideas will lead to severe problems on the island in regards to power and decisions affecting the entire group. Ralph seems to be a very confident and outgoing boy. He is the type of person who likes to take control of a situation. This side of is personality was visibly evident to many of the boys on the island when they voted him “chief” (Golding 19). Jack is the most like Ralph. He displayed his stature as a power figure from the start as the leader of the choir. “Choir! Stand still!”(Golding 16), shows his authoritative manor. He is also head strong and seems to like things to be under his control. This similarity between Ralph and Jack may cause problems in the future if they both fight for power. Piggy is the kind of character who seems to cause problems unintentionally. His lack of confidence as a result of the other boys picking on him seems to be making him very irritable. Piggy is the type of person that doesn’t know how to stand up for himself, he doesn’t know how to defend himself or is to scared to, so he just allows to others to abuse him. “He went very pink, bowed his head and cleaned his glasses again” (Golding 18) demonstrates how piggy is embarrassed very easily and doesn’t know how to defend himself. I believe that a lot of how these characters are developed and their personal tendencies is what will make this novel interesting.