Opening/The Conch
Lord of the Flies was a well written book that was filled with day to day events of a group of school boys stranded on an island by themselves. Golding makes sure to stress multiple times that there were no adults on the island to watch over the children. This set up the challenge of having the boys establish a sense of normality and security. Almost immediately in the story I was introduced to Ralph and "the fat boy" (Golding 8). The fat boy seemed naive and insecure from the first point he is introduced in the story. He made a crucial mistake for sharing his nickname "Piggy" with Ralph. Piggy thought that Ralph wouldn't tell anyone, however it didn't take long for Ralph to share with the group. I think this relates to today's society in the sense that people make fun of people in order to boost their own standing. The conch shell that Ralph used to gather everyone was a symbol for peace, order, and rules. I found it quite silly that everyone voted Ralph as chief simply because he imposed similar rules to that of a classroom. This is shown during the election as Golding writes, "The being that had blown that [the conch], had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart" (Golding 22). I believe that Ralph was voted chief because he represented the authority that the boys were used to having. However, Ralph's flaw as a leader was that his authority had nothing to back it up except a conch of fiat value.
Signal Fire/The Beast
As chief Ralph ordered that the signal fire must be lit at all times just in case a ship were to pass by. It was decide by Ralph that there would be "special people for looking after the fire" (Golding 42). I found that this was a simple and wise decision that would enable the boys to be rescued. How hard could it possibly be to keep a small fire going anyway? Well for Jack and the Choir it proved to be difficult. Not because they couldn't do it though, but rather because they had a different agenda. They were not focused on being rescued, but more on hunting and having fun while on the island. This lead to a heated confrontation between Jack and Ralph after they missed a ship, because the fire was out while Jack was hunting. Another source of division in the group was over the so called "beast" that lived on the island. The beast was first introduced by a littlun and continued to invoke fear into the boys throughout the story. Ralph who imposed logic and order suggested that the beast wasn't real, and they should stop talking about it. Jack embraced the idea of a beast and declared, "Bollocks to the rules! We're strong—we hunt! If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down! We'll close in and beat and beat and beat—!" (Golding 91). Jack used the fear of the beast to gather a following of boys that would prove to be loyal to him.
Jack vs. Ralph
Throughout the story, I viewed Ralph as the leader who embraced the ideas that the boys were familiar with including rules, order, and civilization. On the contrary, I viewed Jack as a manipulative and jealous kid who wants to be a leader. Unfortunately Jacks rise came at the expense of Ralph's control and more importantly his ideals. The last part of the story focuses on the shift of allegiance from Ralph over to Jack. The differences between Jack and Ralph were so great that it caused Jack to leave camp and start his own tribe. At first he had very little support, but he gained it when he held a feast in which they ate a pig that he killed. Jack gained loyalty by providing food for the tribe, something that Ralph didn't do. Later in the story when Ralph and Piggy confront Jack about the stealing of Piggy's glasses, Roger killed Piggy by hitting him with a boulder. During the impact the conch shattered. All of modern civilizations rules were destroyed along with its symbol. As a result chaos took over the island under Jacks rule and Ralph was hunted down. Jack lit the whole island on fire in a tirade to flush out Ralph and as a result a naval ship stopped at the island to investigate. I found it incredibly ironic how when all was said and done, it was a fire that saved the boys from the island. Maybe Golding was trying to convey that order and civilization will always win in the end.
Discussion of Literary Merit
Reading this book was exactly like reading any other book marked as being meritorious. There was an extreamly basic lesson that was dragged out to be a 200 page story. This is completely unnecessary just like most pieces of literature. I personally do not read for enjoyment, but rather to learn the most content in the shortest amount of time. Yes, books of literary merit are far more beneficial to society than commercial fiction books that are written solely for the purpose of making money, however they are still a very inefficient way of learning.
Analytical Questions
1. Could the story have played out differently is Jack had been in charge from the start, and then it wasn't until later that Ralph came into power?
2. What would have happened if Simon were able to tell the group that there was no beast?
3. How was there no remorse from the kids that killed Simon and Piggy?
4. How much longer could they have survived on the island under Jacks leadership?
5. Would the boys have been punished upon arrival to England for the murder of Piggy and Simon?
2. What would have happened if Simon were able to tell the group that there was no beast?
3. How was there no remorse from the kids that killed Simon and Piggy?
4. How much longer could they have survived on the island under Jacks leadership?
5. Would the boys have been punished upon arrival to England for the murder of Piggy and Simon?