Literature Analysis

Literature Analysis: Lord of the Flies

1. Plot Summary:

The story begins with a plane crashing onto an island. It seems that the only people to survive the crash are two children. The first introduces himself as Ralph and the second one, Piggy. Piggy quickly finds a way to find the other boys by using a conch shell as a signal. More of them come. When they are trying to elect a leader both Ralph and Jack, leader of a choir are both candidates. Ralph wins and Jack is upset about it. A little boy states that he saw a monster on the island which he called “beastie.” The group splits up while Jacks group being the hunters and everyone else to try and start a fire or build huts. Jack and Ralph argue about who is actually doing the real work and they become hostile towards each other. Things become routine on the island in a few short days. Jack being bent on killing a pig paints his face and goes on the hunt with several other kids. Ralph and Piggy see a ship but they see the fire is out so they run up but can’t relight it in time. Ralph is angry with Jack because he was supposed to be guarding the fire. The hunters return chanting a song because they had killed a pig. A dead pilot flies down to the island having the parachute caught in the tree and two of the boys see it at night and think it’s the monster. While looking for the monster the boys start to track a boar as well. Ralph throws a spear and it just misses the pig. The boys still in the mindset of the hunt reenact it using a boy, Robert, as the pig. They almost beat him to death until they come to their senses. The group splits into two, one being Ralphs group and the other being Jacks. While Ralphs group tries to start a fire, Jacks group kills a pig and put its head on a stake. As they look at the pigs head they are frightened and run away. Simon deciding to get a moment to himself wonders off and stumbles upon the pigs head. The pig talks to Simon saying that there is no escape from him. Simon faints. As he wakes up he goes and sees that the monster was just a man and goes back to the rest of the group to explain. When he gets there however the boys are in a savage chanting frenzy and decide he is the monster. They quickly kill Simon and his body falls into the ocean. Ralphs group grows thinner. In the middle of the night Jacks group comes down and forcefully steal Piggy’s glasses and with it the ability to make fire. Ralph and Jack fight and in the midst of everything one of Jacks members pushes down a huge boulder and Jack dodges it but Piggy does not. Soon the entire tribe is attacking Ralph so he runs off. Ralph stumbles upon the sows head and takes it and smashes it to the ground and decides to use its spear to kill Jack. Ralph hides and in the morning the boys set out to kill him setting the whole island ablaze. Ralph runs to the beach and falls down but as he looks up he sees a naval officer and so do the other boys. They quickly come to their senses and begin to cry.

2. Theme:

The theme of the novel is Good vs. Evil or Civility vs. Savagery. One by one the boys turn from civil minded children into savage killers due to the loss of hope and survival instinct.

3. Tone:

The tone of the story is despair and desolation.

 “The ground beneath them was a bank covered with sparse grass, torn everywhere by the upheavals of fallen trees, scattered with decaying coconuts and palm saplings. Behind this was the darkness of the forest proper and the open space of the scar.”

4. Literary Techniques:

Symbolism – Piggy’s glasses as hope.

Foreshadowing – When the boys reenact the hunt for the first time was foreshadowing of them murdering Simon.

Allegory – Many things in this book can relate to the inner fight of evil and how “The Lord of the Flies” is really the devil trying to consume you.

Foils – Jack and Piggy. Jack only thinking of savagery and basic primal instincts while Piggy tries to be civil and create order.

Characterization

1. Indirect/Direct

Indirect (Jack) – He snatched the knife out of his sheath and slammed it into the tree trunk.

Direct (Jack) – “I ought to be chief,” said Jack with simple arrogance, “because I’m chapter chorister head boy and I can sing a C sharp.

2. When talking about Piggy or Simon, Golding’s tone is a lot lighter in mood. But when he is talking about Jack or the sows head the tone is dark and grave.

3. The protagonist (Ralph) is fairly static in the sense that he fought very hard to keep things in order from start to finish and he tried to not resort to violence to do so.

4. I feel like I read a character, that being The Devil as the sows head and the island as hell.