LOTF- Characters and symbols

RalphKey Quotes: 'Ralph looked at him (Jack) eager to offer something'-P.19. Despite just being elected chief he is still in awe of Jack and does not crush him while he's vulnerable. Shows society taught value of goodness but Jack uses the hunters Ralph bestows upon on him to remove Ralph from power, shows victory of evil over good.'We'll have to have "Hands up" like at school.'- P.31. Tries to replicate society, goodness is taught not natural. Also need for control perhaps reflect how authority needs to control evil. 'The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering'- P.125. Despite previously being disgusted by savagery, with his attempts to set down rules, as his time on the island increases he starts to lose sight of this (quote P.180) and, at times, becomes almost animalistic in his own savagery. This shows his goodness is taught not natural thus highlighting the evil of humanity.'Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of a man's heart...'- Last page. Whilst on the island Ralph discovers the evilness and savagery that exists within all of us, including himself. Even though he is returned to civilisation he weeps at being burdened with his new knowledge about man's capacity to do wrong. This section of the novel is also dripping with irony as Ralph is rescued through the savagery of the other boys, in that it was the fire made to flush him out that has ultimately delivered freedom. At the end of the book the burning island represents a man made hell, Ralph weeps that the boys tamed by civilisation have lost their innocence and have brought death and destruction to a once peaceful island.Significance in book/purpose:Represents the pragmatic good installed in one by society as well as leadership, order and civilisation. His insistence on trying to get rescued and build shelters shows this. However when taken away from civilisation Ralph, like all the boys bar Simon, begins to turn into a savage. This represents the evil of humanity as even those who appear to be good have the capacity to do evil.Associated Symbols:Conch- Ralph, along with Piggy, finds the conch and it comes to represent his civilised, democratic leadership. At meetings the conch governs who can speak 'I'll give the conch to the next person to speak... And he won't be interrupted.' At the beginning of the novel the conch is respected but loses its power throughout the novel, culminating in Piggy's death when 'the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments.' This represents the boys descent into savagery. Fire- Ralph comes up with the idea of a fire (page 37) and it comes to be a barometer of the boys' desire to be rescued. At the beginning of the novel the fire is maintained showing the boys wish to return to civilisation and are thus civilised. However as the boys' desire to hunt and kill increases the fire is often left unattended, causing conflict between Ralph and Jack (see page 73), mirroring the boys movement away from civilisation. In contrast to this at the beginning of the novel it is the fire that kills a littlun' (see page 47- last page of chapter 2) perhaps showing the danger of fire, foreshadowing how it will help divide Ralph and Jack. Golding could have done this to show that even things that, on the surface, appear to do good, can also be the cause of great evil and suffering. 

JackKey Quotes:'The boy who controlled them'- p.15. First description foreshadows later control. The verb 'controlled' emphasises his ability to manipulate people and sets him out as a natural leader. The fact he doesn't become leader gives the reader a hint of later conflict.'He began to dance, and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarl.' - P.66. After painting his face Jack, who had retained a civilised and pompous air up to this point, loses his self conscious self that society has created. Painted faces, links to tribal instincts, and on discovering his new appearance his 'laughter' is replaced by a 'bloodthirsty snarl' perhaps symbolising his loss of innocence and descent into violence and savagery. In addition the fact Jack feels he is being his true self when wearing this mask perhaps links to Golding's opinion that humans all carry an instinctive cruelty that is only masked by civilisation and authority. 'When we kill we'll leave some of the kill for it (the beast)'- P.147. Repetition of the word 'kill' emphasises the violent, savage nature of Jack's tribe which is based around death and fear. Jack uses the fear of the beast to control his tribe and his suggestion of leaving an offering to the beast is linked to tribal traditions. This, as well as the fact many sections have biblical parallels (see section on Simon), could be a comment on how religion is used to control people. After all, is there any more evidence for the existence of heaven and hell than there is for the existence of the beast? Jack uses fear to justify doing bad things, which creates more fear thus giving him more power, this could have parallels to the way we're governed. In fact the beast is one of Jack's main sources of power as he hints it exists throughout the novel, even though he knows it probably doesn't as it leaves the group fearful, and more likely to accept Jack's violence and savagery. (see page 99)'Do our dance! Come on! Dance!'- P.167. Links to tribalism and savagery, the dance leads to the death of Simon. The dance is used to alleviate fears within the group by focussing their attention elsewhere, perhaps showing how easily humanity can be manipulated. Ralph highlights a genuine problem the group face and rather than engaging with his argument Jack cleverly ignores him in a ghostly parallel of modern day politics. Although Jack's invitation to dance may seem friendly in reality it is an order and this is typical of Jack's manipulative authoritarianism.  Significance in book/purpose: Within the book Jack represents untamed savagery and desire for power. The fact he comes from an upper class background and mocks those such as Piggy, who is more working class, and even Ralph, who is fairly middle class could mirror the class war in society. Power can change between middle and upper classes but the working class is almost an irrelevance, even when they are more intelligent than everyone else. However more importantly Jack represents evil and desire for power at all costs. Jack's victory over Ralp - the legitimate and benign leader -  could be seen as the victory of savagery over civilisation .  

Ralph vs JackKey Quotes: 'Jack's face disappeared under a blush of mortification'- P.19. Ralph becomes chief over Jack, although he does pacify him (see Ralph). As leader of the choir Jack is clearly not used to being a subordinate of another his own age and although relations seem friendly Jack clearly is power hungry, as we discover throughout the rest of the book. Whilst the boys are civilised Ralph has control.'The rules are the only thing we've got!' (Ralph) 'Bollocks to the rules' (Jack)- P.99. Clear contrast between Ralph's values of civilisation and Ralph's of savagery. Ironic as on page 32 Jack proclaims 'We'll have rules!' Shows how after he painted his face (see Jack) has lost civilised instincts. This passage shows the victory of savagery as the assembly breaks up and Ralph fearing if he blows the conch and they don't come back 'We'll be like animals. We'll never be rescued.'  Shows loss of power of conch. 'He's not a hunter. He'd never get us meat. He isn't a prefect and we don't know anything about him.' Tensions between Ralph and Jack come to a head and Jack forms his own tribe. The quote emphasises Jacks descent into savagery and illustrates the boys' mindsets. The fact Ralph isn't a 'hunter' is used as an insult shows the boys makeshift society has come to only value violence and material goods, rather than order and the long term goal of returning to civilisation. This need for instant gratification is perhaps used to mirror humanity at large. Despite this Jack still sees the fact Ralph 'isn't a prefect' showing civilisation still has some importance within him, Golding may have used this to remind the reader they are still children. Even as a savage Jack is still a snob who resents Ralph, the commoner, from taking power from him. This again represents the class war in society. The reference to 'prefect' is a reminder that the symbols and trappings of power are as important - if not more so - as power itself.  Authority is 'bestowed' by the use of trinkets that have great value attached to them - whether this is the prefect's badge or the conch shell.   Being removed from a world where adults have provided these trinkets, the boys set about inventing their own.'Don't you understand you painted fools?'- P.197. By the end of the novel Ralph is powerless and, along with Piggy and Samneric, goes to Castle Rock, in an attempt to regain Piggy's glasses. However Ralph is losing sight of his civilised aims and his inarticulate speech is laughed at by the other boys. His desperation is shown through the quote which also highlights the scorn he holds Jack's tribe in.     " 'Who's boss here?' 'I am,' said Ralph loudly."- P.224. When the boys are rescued Ralph takes charge showing how in a civilised setting he is better suited to leading than Jack. Ralph also seems to regain his confidence once in the company of someone he sees as adult and sophisticated. This is shown through his proclamation of leadership being said 'loudly.' However the fact that Jack took control on the Island highlights the victory of savagery and the evilness of humanity.          

SimonKey Quotes:'Passions beat about Simon on the mountain-top with awful wings'- P.75. Simon picks up Piggy's glasses that have been knocked off by Jack and in doing so shows his innate goodness that none of the other boys possess.  Passions could refer to the strong, uncontrollable savage emotions that are around Simon and the phrase 'awful wings' links these emotions to animalistic behaviour. These 'passions beat' Simon as if he is upset by the wickedness of humanity. Alternatively passions can refer to the suffering and death of Christ and so this could link Simon to Christ, at the very least in a comparison of his goodness.  'maybe there is a beast...maybe its only us'- P.95-96. Simon recognises that the only beast on the island is the evil within each boy but becomes 'inarticulate in his effort to express mankind's essential illness.' Golding uses this to show the evil within humanity, only Simon is innately good, all the other boys are civilised at the beginning of the novel because of the social control exerted over them previously. As the book develops all the boys, bar Simon and Piggy, become more savage due to their innate evil. Piggy dosen't become savage due to his vast intellect, its only Simon who's good because he believes in doing what's right. If we think of the book in biblical terms the fact Simon, who could be compared to Jesus, is unable to spread his message of truth could aim to a parody bible, i.e. that Jesus wouldn't be listened to and therefore the bible has no credibility, due to the fact good is in such scarcity compared to evil within humans that evil will always triumph over good. 'You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you?'- P.158. Simon meets the Lord of the Flies, which we assume to be a hallucination. Simon has gone mad, by keeping his goodness, his 'humanity' he has lost his sanity. Lord of the Flies translates to Beelzebub which is another name for the devil, however he claims to be 'part of you.' Literally the Lord of the Flies is the stow's head left as a sacrifice to the beast, this then becomes 'the beast' showing it is the actions of the boys that have created the beast and as such they are the beast, destroying themselves and everything around them. By putting the 'devil' against Simon, who represents innate goodness, it is literally a battle of good against evil. However Simon appears to be at the mercy of the Lord of the Flies who foreshadows his death 'we shall do you'. The 'we' refers to the boys and emphasises the fact that the beast is part of human nature. Unlike in the bible evil triumphs over good. 'Simon was crying out something about a dead man a hill'- P.168. The LOTF's threat becomes a reality when the boys mistake Simon for the beast and kill him, ironic as he is the only one of them who isn't, in some way, the beast. With his dying words Simon tries to tell them the truth about the Beast he discovered at the beginning of the chapter (page 162) he discovers 'The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible.' Simon tries to prevent the boys turning to savagery and following Jack due to a threat that dosen't really exist. In fact the threat isn't the beast itself but the threat of the beast that Jack uses to control the boys. Simon's death is symbolic of the victory of evil over good, of truth over manipulation, of savagery over kindness. Like Jesus he dies trying to save others, but unlike Jesus his sacrifice yields no salvation for the rest of humanity, only more pain.Significance in book/purpose:Simon represents innate human goodness and, as such, the lack of respect (see P.141) he receives from the other boys suggests how little people care about doing the right thing. Instead they follow first Ralph, who provides pragmatic, civilised leadership, the Jack, who leads through fear. Simon's death is a clear symbol of humanity's evil. In addition if the book is to be read from a biblical perspective he is a key character. In such a reading the island represents the Garden of Eden which is 'scarred' by the plane crash and turned into a sort of hell through human wickedness, symbolised by the island going up in flames at the end of the novel. Simon is the antithesis of the Lord of the Flies and their confrontation mirrors a meeting between Jesus and the devil. However the book can be read at a deeper level than a re-hashing of the bible. Simon's defeat in his quest to reveal the truth is a victory of evil over good and of humanities need to create demons to hide the ones they harbour within themselves.        

PiggyKey Quotes:'They used to call me "Piggy."- P.6. In an attempt to make friends with Ralph Piggy confides in him. The fact he was called 'Piggy' suggests he has been picked on his whole life and also foreshadows his later death, as pigs are hunted on the island. He asks Ralph not to tell the others but this is ignored (see page 17) and he is referred to as Piggy for the entire novel. This symbolises how Piggy is of very low status within the group, almost to the point of being sub-human. Piggy is used to being picked on and proclaims 'I was the only boy in our school what had asthma.' This physical weakness makes him an easy target and he is often scapegoated, particularly by Jack. In addition as they are far from civilisation natural processes such as survival of the fittest now apply to the boys. Piggy is certainly not the fittest and this also foreshadows his death. Shows how humanity picks on its weakest members. In addition he is inarticulate and working class. As such he is seen as below other boys, perhaps showing the class divisions in society and the exploitation of the working class e.g. through the stealing of his glasses. 'What's wrong with a fire down here'- Shows intellect. Piggy represents the rational scientific side of humanity. After Jack leaves the group his views are better respected. Jack may have seen his rational arguments as a threat to his fear based control. 'Piggy's arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig's after it has been killed.' Contrast to the beautiful description of Simon's death (page 169) Piggy is described in death how he was seen in life, as an animal. Through the deaths of Piggy and Simon Golding suggests humanity will never be led by the most intelligent people nor the kindest because of the wickedness within them. In addition the intolerance and lack of respect shown to Piggy could reflect the brutal, utilitarian nature of human nature. Piggy wasn't particularly useful to the other boys and so his death amounts to nothing more than that of a pig's. Significance in book/purpose:Represents the rational side of society stating 'Life... is scientific'. However Piggy can only manifest his intellect through Ralph as he lacks the leadership qualities to persuade others to follow his ideas. Piggy is obsessed by forming a civilisation and following social conventions, symbolised by his death holding the conch (see Ralph). In fact Piggy is so obsessed with civilisation that when Jack and his hunters come to steal his glasses Piggy thinks 'they wanted the conch'. To Piggy the conch is his only defence against savagery, he can only live in a rational civilised world. He knows he will struggle once savagery sets in and that is exactly what happens. The boys picking on the person in their mini-society that needs the most help is reflective of humanity's evil nature.Significance of glasses:The glasses represent the power of science and intellect in society. This symbolic significance is clear from the start of the novel, when the boys use the lenses from Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight and start a fire. However whilst Jack is present Piggy's glasses are always taken rather than given. This could represent humanity's constant abuse and exploitation of others' talents. As Piggy also represents the working classes this could be taken to show how the skills of the working classes are used to consolidate the power of the ruling class.  When Jack’s hunters raid Ralph’s camp and steal the glasses, the savages effectively take the power to make fire, leaving Ralph’s group helpless. This symbolises the loss of reason on the island.     

Ralph

Jack

Ralph v Jack

Simon

Piggy