'Lord Of The Flies' By William Golding: Chapter Analysis
Furthermore, as Chapter Two begins, the boys agree to establish some rules since they don’t have any authority figures present. In an endeavor to maintain what they are used to, the boys use to conch to assist them in creating rules and order. Ralph, the chief, mentions while holding the conch, “And another thing. We cannot have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school” (Golding 33). Golding further demonstrates the idea of civilization through this quote. By mentioning “hands up,” Golding demonstrates the boys’ efforts to maintain their old civilized lives. However, as the chapter progresses, the conch slowly starts to lose its significance. While the boys are traveling from the beach to the mountain in order
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to start a fire, Jack points out that Piggy’s glasses could potentially be used as burning specs and be utilized to start the fire. When Piggy is holding the conch and desires to share his opinion, he is disregarded by the other boys, especially Jack. Jack angrily tells Piggy that the conch is invalid on top of the mountain. This represents the way the all the boys, excluding Piggy, begin to manipulate the conch and the rules associated with it. Moments after, Ralph clarifies that the conch is valid everywhere and Jack then agrees that all the boys should abide by the rules. The fluctuating beliefs in the conch’s value soon leads to instability in the civilization the boys are attempting to maintain.
In subsequent chapters, the conch is used to call assemblies by Ralph, the chief. As Chapter Five begins, Ralph calls a meeting to remind the boys of the basic rules. Once Ralph sets the conch down, Jack picks it up and tells the littluns that there is nothing to fear as the beast does not exist. While Jack is following the rules at this point in the chapter, he begins ignoring the rules as the chapter progresses. The boys continue to argue about the beast and what it really is. Simon then points out that the beast may be present in them. Here, Golding is demonstrating his idea that humans are inherently evil, and he once again portrays this idea through Jack. Jack angrily shouts that he is going to hunt the beast if it actually exists. The assembly then disperses and Piggy insists that Ralph blow the conch and make the boys follow the rules. Ralph then says, “If I blow the conch and they don't come back, then we've had it. We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals. We'll never be rescued” (Golding 92). Golding demonstrates the decline of civilization and order through the disbelief Jack shows in the conch. Additionally, Golding foreshadows the splitting of the boys into two distinct tribes: Jack and his savages and Ralph and his civilized tribe. It can be observed that Jack’s desire to hunt is becoming stronger and he as days pass on the island, he is leaving his civilized life behind, the life that he was only able to maintain in the presence of authority, or adults. This is additionally symbolic because Jack only leaves behind his savagery when a naval officer finds the boys on the island and rescues them. Without society's constant watch, Jack is drawn to evil and a savage life.
Moreover, Golding continues to portray the decline in the conch’s portrayal of civilization as chapters progress.
Life on the island continues pretty much the same until Chapter Eight. In chapter six, the boys finally agree to hunt for the beast after the twins, Samneric think they saw the beast. However, the boys go up to castle rock and find no beast. Chapter Seven is extremely eventful because in this chapter it is not the value of the conch that changes, but the one who gives value to the conch that changes. Ralph proudly wounds a boar and also finally sees the beast. Golding uses the beast to depict the loss of civilization and innocence due to the evil present in humans, and Ralph’s ability to see this beast represents Ralph beginning to lose his innocence as he taps into the shred of evil present in him. However, Chapter Eight is inarguably one of the most pivotal points throughout the novel. As the morning after the boys have seen the beast approaches, Jack seizes the conch shell from Ralph, who is still chief, and clumsily blows it, calling for an assembly. Jack claims that Ralph is a coward and should no longer be chief for three main reasons: he favors Piggy, he does not hunt, and he is scared of the beast. In great confidence, Jack calls for a vote to impeach Ralph from the position of chief, “He held the conch against his chest with one hand and stabbed the air with his index finger” (Golding, 127). When no one votes to impeach Ralph, Jack is humiliated, “He laid the conch with great care in the grass at his feet” (Golding, 127). Golding demonstrates the importance of conch in aiding the boys to maintain a somewhat civilized life on the island. The phrase, “laid the conch with great care” depicts the value the conch shell still holds in Jack’s perspective. Jack’s gentleness with the conch is what makes this specific event so remarkable. As Jack lays the conch at his feet, he is laying civilization down and walking away from the civilized life that
Ralph has attempted to maintain, and is overcome by savagery. As the chapter progresses, Jack kills a vulnerable sow who happens to be nursing her piglets. Jack’s cruelty can be seen through this event as he leaves the head of the unfortunate sow as an ‘offering’ for the beast. Jack’s killing of the defenseless sow represents the triumph of evil. As the boys of Jack’s new tribe return back to the beach with food, Jack is indirectly declared chief of a new tribe. The boys who are attempting to stay civilized and those who have been introduced to a savage lifestyle finally separate into two distinct tribes. This separation is what Golding utilizes to foreshadow the chaos that will follow between Ralph and his civilized tribe and Jack and his tribe of savages. As the chapter comes to an end, Simon faces the devil himself, the Lord of the Flies, previously known as the beast. Throughout chapter eight, Golding foreshadows the impending turmoil that will follow with the decline in value of the conch and the introduction of the beast, or the Lord of the Flies.
In addition, Chapter Nine shows just how savage the boys have become. The power struggle between Ralph and Jack continues and in the midst of all of their arguing, the boys decide to reenact the pig’s death similar to what they had done in Chapter Seven with Roger, only this time, they were talking about the beast. As they are wildly chanting, Simon crawls to them from the forest to tell them that the beast is not real. However, the boys instantly assume that Simon is the beast and they strike, hit, and bite Simon. As rain pours down, Simon’s blood stains the sand. The boys killed Simon and took savagery to another level. Golding shows to his audience, that the boys’ lust to kill has overcome them. As Chapter Ten begins, Ralph shrieks that they murdered Ralph and Piggy reasons that it was an accident. As the chapter comes to an end, Jack and his tribe of savages infiltrate Ralph’s camp and steal Piggy’s glasses which is the key to making the smoke signal for rescue. Through chapter Eleven, Golding demonstrates to his audience the power the conch continues to hold in Ralph’s tribe as opposed to how meaningless it is to Jack and his tribe. The eleventh chapter begins with Ralph attempting to start a fire, but failing to do so. In addition to being unable to start a fire to act as a smoke signal for rescue, Piggy can barely see anything. Ralph suggests that they go to Jack’s camp in clean attires to remind them of what their main goal is: getting rescued. However, this encounter quickly goes awry as after a lot of bickering, Jack commands his savages to tie up Samneric. Piggy then desires to speak, but with all the bickering going on, there seems to be no presence of silence. Piggy then utilizes the conch to shut everyone up, and surprisingly, everyone stops arguing and there is silence. This particular event in the chapter is Golding’s way of demonstrating that the conch still holds power over everyone, even if it is minimal power. Nevertheless, Piggy is unsuccessful, like Ralph, in getting Jack and his tribe to work together for a common cause: getting rescued. At this point in the chapter, Roger is throwing stones at the boys. However, Roger’s mischief becomes deadly when he pushes a massive rock down the mountainside. Ralph is able to dodge this rock, but Piggy is unable to dodge this rock due to his poor eyesight and ends up getting hit by it, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). Through Golding’s usage of the phrase, “ceased to exist,” Golding shows to his readers that the conch is finally gone, and with the destruction of the conch, the meaning behind the conch is also destroyed. When Piggy’s relationship with the conch is observed, this event is even more significant because Piggy died with the conch. Piggy was the first to recognize the shell as a conch and also the first to associate it with power, order, and togetherness. Piggy had believed in the conch throughout the book, never once undermining its value, unlike the other boys. Everything the conch had represented has now ceased to exist. This can be concluded by observing the behavior of Jack and his savages after the conch is destroyed. The conch was like a moral compass, but with nothing guiding a somewhat civilized life, Jack orders his savages to chase after Ralph to kill him, intentionally. With the destruction of the conch and the one that believed in it the most, Golding foreshadows the chaos that will ensue as the novel comes to an end.
Finally, as chapter twelve starts, Ralph finds himself completely alone. Ralph convinces himself that Jack and his tribe of savages are not actually that bad and that they would leave him alone. As the night approaches, Ralph calls out to Samneric who appear to have joined Jack’s savage tribe. They tell Ralph that Jack plans on hunting him tomorrow. The next morning, as Samneric had warned Ralph, Jack goes to hunt Ralph. To get Ralph out of hiding, Jack tries to smoke him out with a fire. This fire rapidly spread creating a wildfire, which, ironically, is what the naval officer sees that leads him to the island to rescue the boys. The naval officer asks who is boss and Ralph announces loudly that he is the chief. Jack, who was insistent on killing Ralph is now described by Golding as, “A little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap on his red hair…” (Golding 201). Golding demonstrates to his readers that while Jack was overcome by savagery, his desire to get back to a civilized life and order was more overpowering. The chapter ends with the officer looking at the “trim cruiser in the distance” (Golding 202). This is what Golding intended to portray to his audience through the novel: they are filled with savagery. The naval officer represents civilization, but along with representing civilization, he also represents the terrifying aspect of civilization: war.
to start a fire, Jack points out that Piggy’s glasses could potentially be used as burning specs and be utilized to start the fire. When Piggy is holding the conch and desires to share his opinion, he is disregarded by the other boys, especially Jack. Jack angrily tells Piggy that the conch is invalid on top of the mountain. This represents the way the all the boys, excluding Piggy, begin to manipulate the conch and the rules associated with it. Moments after, Ralph clarifies that the conch is valid everywhere and Jack then agrees that all the boys should abide by the rules. The fluctuating beliefs in the conch’s value soon leads to instability in the civilization the boys are attempting to maintain.
In subsequent chapters, the conch is used to call assemblies by Ralph, the chief. As Chapter Five begins, Ralph calls a meeting to remind the boys of the basic rules. Once Ralph sets the conch down, Jack picks it up and tells the littluns that there is nothing to fear as the beast does not exist. While Jack is following the rules at this point in the chapter, he begins ignoring the rules as the chapter progresses. The boys continue to argue about the beast and what it really is. Simon then points out that the beast may be present in them. Here, Golding is demonstrating his idea that humans are inherently evil, and he once again portrays this idea through Jack. Jack angrily shouts that he is going to hunt the beast if it actually exists. The assembly then disperses and Piggy insists that Ralph blow the conch and make the boys follow the rules. Ralph then says, “If I blow the conch and they don't come back, then we've had it. We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals. We'll never be rescued” (Golding 92). Golding demonstrates the decline of civilization and order through the disbelief Jack shows in the conch. Additionally, Golding foreshadows the splitting of the boys into two distinct tribes: Jack and his savages and Ralph and his civilized tribe. It can be observed that Jack’s desire to hunt is becoming stronger and he as days pass on the island, he is leaving his civilized life behind, the life that he was only able to maintain in the presence of authority, or adults. This is additionally symbolic because Jack only leaves behind his savagery when a naval officer finds the boys on the island and rescues them. Without society's constant watch, Jack is drawn to evil and a savage life.
Moreover, Golding continues to portray the decline in the conch’s portrayal of civilization as chapters progress.
Life on the island continues pretty much the same until Chapter Eight. In chapter six, the boys finally agree to hunt for the beast after the twins, Samneric think they saw the beast. However, the boys go up to castle rock and find no beast. Chapter Seven is extremely eventful because in this chapter it is not the value of the conch that changes, but the one who gives value to the conch that changes. Ralph proudly wounds a boar and also finally sees the beast. Golding uses the beast to depict the loss of civilization and innocence due to the evil present in humans, and Ralph’s ability to see this beast represents Ralph beginning to lose his innocence as he taps into the shred of evil present in him. However, Chapter Eight is inarguably one of the most pivotal points throughout the novel. As the morning after the boys have seen the beast approaches, Jack seizes the conch shell from Ralph, who is still chief, and clumsily blows it, calling for an assembly. Jack claims that Ralph is a coward and should no longer be chief for three main reasons: he favors Piggy, he does not hunt, and he is scared of the beast. In great confidence, Jack calls for a vote to impeach Ralph from the position of chief, “He held the conch against his chest with one hand and stabbed the air with his index finger” (Golding, 127). When no one votes to impeach Ralph, Jack is humiliated, “He laid the conch with great care in the grass at his feet” (Golding, 127). Golding demonstrates the importance of conch in aiding the boys to maintain a somewhat civilized life on the island. The phrase, “laid the conch with great care” depicts the value the conch shell still holds in Jack’s perspective. Jack’s gentleness with the conch is what makes this specific event so remarkable. As Jack lays the conch at his feet, he is laying civilization down and walking away from the civilized life that
Ralph has attempted to maintain, and is overcome by savagery. As the chapter progresses, Jack kills a vulnerable sow who happens to be nursing her piglets. Jack’s cruelty can be seen through this event as he leaves the head of the unfortunate sow as an ‘offering’ for the beast. Jack’s killing of the defenseless sow represents the triumph of evil. As the boys of Jack’s new tribe return back to the beach with food, Jack is indirectly declared chief of a new tribe. The boys who are attempting to stay civilized and those who have been introduced to a savage lifestyle finally separate into two distinct tribes. This separation is what Golding utilizes to foreshadow the chaos that will follow between Ralph and his civilized tribe and Jack and his tribe of savages. As the chapter comes to an end, Simon faces the devil himself, the Lord of the Flies, previously known as the beast. Throughout chapter eight, Golding foreshadows the impending turmoil that will follow with the decline in value of the conch and the introduction of the beast, or the Lord of the Flies.
In addition, Chapter Nine shows just how savage the boys have become. The power struggle between Ralph and Jack continues and in the midst of all of their arguing, the boys decide to reenact the pig’s death similar to what they had done in Chapter Seven with Roger, only this time, they were talking about the beast. As they are wildly chanting, Simon crawls to them from the forest to tell them that the beast is not real. However, the boys instantly assume that Simon is the beast and they strike, hit, and bite Simon. As rain pours down, Simon’s blood stains the sand. The boys killed Simon and took savagery to another level. Golding shows to his audience, that the boys’ lust to kill has overcome them. As Chapter Ten begins, Ralph shrieks that they murdered Ralph and Piggy reasons that it was an accident. As the chapter comes to an end, Jack and his tribe of savages infiltrate Ralph’s camp and steal Piggy’s glasses which is the key to making the smoke signal for rescue. Through chapter Eleven, Golding demonstrates to his audience the power the conch continues to hold in Ralph’s tribe as opposed to how meaningless it is to Jack and his tribe. The eleventh chapter begins with Ralph attempting to start a fire, but failing to do so. In addition to being unable to start a fire to act as a smoke signal for rescue, Piggy can barely see anything. Ralph suggests that they go to Jack’s camp in clean attires to remind them of what their main goal is: getting rescued. However, this encounter quickly goes awry as after a lot of bickering, Jack commands his savages to tie up Samneric. Piggy then desires to speak, but with all the bickering going on, there seems to be no presence of silence. Piggy then utilizes the conch to shut everyone up, and surprisingly, everyone stops arguing and there is silence. This particular event in the chapter is Golding’s way of demonstrating that the conch still holds power over everyone, even if it is minimal power. Nevertheless, Piggy is unsuccessful, like Ralph, in getting Jack and his tribe to work together for a common cause: getting rescued. At this point in the chapter, Roger is throwing stones at the boys. However, Roger’s mischief becomes deadly when he pushes a massive rock down the mountainside. Ralph is able to dodge this rock, but Piggy is unable to dodge this rock due to his poor eyesight and ends up getting hit by it, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). Through Golding’s usage of the phrase, “ceased to exist,” Golding shows to his readers that the conch is finally gone, and with the destruction of the conch, the meaning behind the conch is also destroyed. When Piggy’s relationship with the conch is observed, this event is even more significant because Piggy died with the conch. Piggy was the first to recognize the shell as a conch and also the first to associate it with power, order, and togetherness. Piggy had believed in the conch throughout the book, never once undermining its value, unlike the other boys. Everything the conch had represented has now ceased to exist. This can be concluded by observing the behavior of Jack and his savages after the conch is destroyed. The conch was like a moral compass, but with nothing guiding a somewhat civilized life, Jack orders his savages to chase after Ralph to kill him, intentionally. With the destruction of the conch and the one that believed in it the most, Golding foreshadows the chaos that will ensue as the novel comes to an end.
Finally, as chapter twelve starts, Ralph finds himself completely alone. Ralph convinces himself that Jack and his tribe of savages are not actually that bad and that they would leave him alone. As the night approaches, Ralph calls out to Samneric who appear to have joined Jack’s savage tribe. They tell Ralph that Jack plans on hunting him tomorrow. The next morning, as Samneric had warned Ralph, Jack goes to hunt Ralph. To get Ralph out of hiding, Jack tries to smoke him out with a fire. This fire rapidly spread creating a wildfire, which, ironically, is what the naval officer sees that leads him to the island to rescue the boys. The naval officer asks who is boss and Ralph announces loudly that he is the chief. Jack, who was insistent on killing Ralph is now described by Golding as, “A little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap on his red hair…” (Golding 201). Golding demonstrates to his readers that while Jack was overcome by savagery, his desire to get back to a civilized life and order was more overpowering. The chapter ends with the officer looking at the “trim cruiser in the distance” (Golding 202). This is what Golding intended to portray to his audience through the novel: they are filled with savagery. The naval officer represents civilization, but along with representing civilization, he also represents the terrifying aspect of civilization: war.