Dramatic Irony In Lord Of The Flies

In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding describes the boys’ perception of the “beast” on the mountain, creating dramatic irony. When Sam and Eric first discover the beast, Golding reveals that the creature was merely a dead parachutist whose corpse was tangled within the trees. However, the boys continue to assume that Jack, and Roger climb up the mountain in search of the creature. The darkness of the night prevents the boys from recognizing what the beast truly is. Their perspective is further distorted when Jack suggests that they, “‘…creep forward on hands and knees…’” (Golding 122) to hunt the beast. Because they are crawling on the ground, the dead parachutist appears to be “bulging” at them, as if he was an animal. Furthermore,