Masks In Lord Of The Flies

A Savage Masquerade Masks are prevalent throughout Lord of the Flies. The hunters utilize face paint, the most recognizable and physical form of the mask in the story. The paint is first mentioned when Jack smears red and white clay onto his face, along with charcoal. Although the clay masks are originally used as camouflage in order to hunt a pig, the paint soon becomes a way for the hunters to distance themselves from the atrocities they commit. Jack immediately changes after applying the face paint. “He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling […] the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (Golding 64). Not only does Jack gain the confidence to hunt the pig, the mask also convinces the rest of the hunters to follow Jack’s leadership. Face paint is also present in the scene where Jack and his
followers attack the beach in order to obtain fire. They are described as “[d]emoniac figures with faces of white and red and green” (Golding 140). This time, the rest of Jack’s followers are also wearing masks of clay, stealing fire from the beach camp and causing chaos among the littluns. The rogue group is no longer described as a band of boys, but figures resembling demons. The face paint separates the identity of the boys from their evil actions, relieving them of any guilt or responsibility. The last example comes from the hunters’ feast, in which Jack, face painted, sits on a log and is described as an idol. In a religious perspective, Jack’s disguise allows him to act superior to the other boys and imitate God. Furthermore, using the face paint, Jack and his followers have broken many of the Ten Commandments, including theft and murder. Even when isolated from religion, these actions are considered crimes in society. The masks the boys wear frees their savageness, and they are free to do whatever they wish because they do not have a reputation that can be tarnished. Under the protection of the face paint, their identities are concealed and their innate evilness is revealed. The other boys, such as Ralph and Piggy, also partake in savage rituals and sacrifices.
They are not wearing masks of paint, but are regardless wearing masks that cloud their sense of reason and identity. Ralph’s mask is his growing hair, which he constantly pushes back throughout the novel. His hair signifies the change of his character throughout his time on the island, his rationality slowly crumbling. Ralph succumbs to his mask when he participates in the hunt and in the murder of Simon. Piggy, who is described to have little hair that doesn’t grow, has a unique mask from the rest of the boys. It is his broken pair of specs. Initially used to aid his vision, Piggy’s mask is the reverse of the boys’ masks. The lack of his mask is what causes his moral demise. Piggy is blind in one eye after the lens breaks on one side, which can be perceived as a partial loss of reason. After his glasses are broken, Piggy has moments in which he loses his cool: “Ralph, they out to shut up, oughtn’t they? You shut up, you littluns” (Golding 83)! He also participates in the feast and the brutal
murder. Although the masks are physically different for the boys, they all have the same effect on their characters. The paint, the long hair, and the broken glasses rid the boys of their humanity and allow them to lose themselves in savageness and chaos with no guilt over what they have done. The masks do not serve to hide their evils, but rather encourages them to come out as long as the boys are not recognizable to themselves.