Summary: Lord Of The Flies

Introduction
Lord Of The Flies, by William Golding, focused on the development and
deterioration of a miniature society of boys isolated on a small tropical
island. The story centred around individuals representing different aspects
of children and their personalities. Beginning with a child-like innocence,
the novel brought forth many of the sinister characteristics of human
nature as the use of violence became more frequent and progressed into an
ultimate pinnacle. The violence provided a sense of realism in that the
author did not try to hide the factual harshness of the world by covering it
with a false softness. The text was very descriptive of the setting and the
physical and mental appearance of the protagonists and antagonists. The
style of writing being sometimes simple-minded and not fully aware of “the
outside world” suited the characters’ ages. The book dealt with our true
nature as revealed by the freedom from the disciplinary boundaries of
modern society.

Chapter 1
The description of the lead character in the beginning of the story, was
that of a light-coloured boy who was soon given the name Ralph. Ralph
seemed a typical kid. His fair appearance and size made him likeable and gave
him an inner-strength of self-confidence. His interaction with Piggy showed
that he was not ill-natured. Although he laughed at Piggy’s name, it was not
with real malice for he had ridiculed his external appearance. Piggy’s rather
unique attributes had made him an outcast of the mainstream of boys at his
age, and his lack of self-esteem reflected that. He too seemed good-natured
as he behaved in a polite fashion. The fact that Piggy was knowledgable and
well-educated was made apparent by his air of responsibility.

The conch was presented as a symbol of authority and order. It
summoned all the boys from the island to the assembly, and it gave its holder
the right to speak. It also set Ralph apart from the bigger boys and helped
him to be leader.

The clothing worn by the boys made them seem more civilized, and the
inappropriateness of such garments made them very much out of place. The
uniformed Jack and his choir were seen as a superior power. Being more
proper, the uniforms created an isolated unity for the choir. The force of
Jack’s authority over his choir and his malicious and arrogant personality
dwarfed Piggy. Ralph’s attempt to defend Piggy being called fatty resulted in
more embarrassment for Piggy. The childish laughters formed a bond among
the boys and made Piggy what he had always been, an outcast.

At their first meeting, all the boys were introduced by their first
names. The complicated and serious formalities with their last names were
left out to suit their age groups and perhaps to provide a sense of unity
among the boys. Jack’s insistence on being called Merridew showed his desire
to be superior among the boys. His defeat after the vote for chief was
taken uneasily at first (hinted by the imagery of a red facial expression),
but after being offered the command of his choir, he accepted his status.

Among the boys in the choir, Roger was first seen as a shy and quiet boy,
while Simon was introduced as pleasant-mannered and happy.

Ralph, Simon and Jack’s exploration of the island allowed the reader to
examine the innocent and playful nature of a small group of boys. Their
playful attitude was clearly evident as they were energetic and
enthusiastic towards their new environment. They interpretation of their
surroundings were truthful and simple. Their first encounter of the pig
ended with Jack hesitating to stab the pig. This demonstrated Jack’s
inexperience as a killer, as compared to what he would become later in the
book.

Chapter 2
Already, the smaller boys could be seen segregated from the bigger
ones. In some instances (in meetings for example), the older boys were like
the more powerful and decisive adults while the smaller boys were depicted
as the more playful and less responsible children. The little boy’s story of
the “snake-thing” was not taken too seriously by the older boys. As the
story progresses on, it dealt less and less with the smaller boys, until near
the ending, they were almost completely ignored.

Ralph’s leadership was well reflected by his public speaking skills. He
was able to convey his thoughts clearly and fluently. Jack too seemed quite
able to speak and was quite eager to do so. His suggestion to make rules
showed that he wanted to assert control over the “society”