Lord Of The Flies Identity Analysis

William Golding’s Lord of The Flies shows the progression of the loss of identity from the time a group of British boys landed on a deserted island. This Bildungsroman takes place during the time of World War ll, at which point a group of British boys, ages 6-12, were flying away to escape the war. The plane crashed on an empty island, leaving the boys stranded. With no adult presence, the boys are free to act as individuals. Ralph, Piggy, and Jack Merridew are three main characters in this book. These three 12 year old boys help govern their own society. Additionally, there are younger children on this island, specifically Robert and Percival Wemys Madison. As power and the fear of a non-existent breast begins to take over, civilization
Piggy, being an intellectual thinker, becomes aware of the fact that there must be others on the island and suggests to Ralph, “We got to find the others. We got to do something...We ought to have a meeting” (11-12). Piggy believes in the unity of all those stranded on the island, and the only way to do this is by having a meeting. Piggy has his own way of thinking and his intellect makes up who he is. Another major character in this story is Jack Merridew. While at the town meeting, Jack exclaims to the group, “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything” (45). Society's influence on Jack makes up who he is and what he believes, in the beginning of the novel. He believes that as British boys, they should behave in a proper manner, by following the rules, as that is that he has been taught. Society shapes Jack’s character to make him who he is. In addition, Ralph is another prominent individual in Lord of The Flies. During a town meeting, Ralph proposes to the group,“If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire” (51). Ralph’s father is a navy officer, so Ralph understands that the only way that the boys will be rescued is if a ship passes the island and sees their signal fire (and everyone agrees). Ralph’s identity is made
Jack decides to put on face paint to camouflage his face to better hunt pigs, but when he does he reflects to himself, “He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger...He was safe from shame or self-consciousness behind the mask of his paint and could look at each of them in turn” (89-90). The paint was Jack’s facade, which allowed him to act the way he wanted to without caring about what others thought of him. Once Jack put on the paint, he began to act with more confidence and aggression. Jack’s descent into savagery lead to the loss of his identity. The idea of fear creeps into the minds of some of the boys, one being Percival. He fears the existence of a beast and weeps “Percival Wemys Madison. The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Hants, telephone, telephone, tele—” (122). Percival loses touch with society, as he is unable to remember his telephone. Percival’s identity revolved on society and what he was taught growing up. Once separated from civilization and exposed to a new environment (as well as different ideas- such as the beast), Percival grew apart and began to forget his old identity. Additionally, when the boys go hunting, their excitement engenders and Ralph joins in the chant, “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in! Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was