ipl-logo

Loss Of Identity In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

611 Words3 Pages

Golding shows loss of identity in Lord of the Flies by the actions of Jack Roger and Ralph.
Loss of innocence is first seen in Jack and the choir boys. Jack’s evil is shown starting from the mask he paints onto himself with the clays and charcoals on the island. The mask, “liberated from shame and self-consciousness”, allowing him, along with the other choir boys to enjoy hunting and killing (Golding 64). His actions are seen as a loss of innocence during the killing of the pig. The hunting, hurting, and killing of the animal is overmastering and compels the boys to hurt and do more damage. With the horror and brutality of the pig, the cheerfulness and the accomplishment of the boys causes them to play, celebrate, and chant “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood” (Golding 69). Along with the murder of the pigs, Jack’s loss of innocence does more than harm animals. Jack …show more content…

Unlike the other boys, he tried to fight it and knew right from wrong, but the island still changed him into a beast like the rest. When Ralph first goes to explore the island, he and Jack realized the enjoyment of destruction, pushing large rocks down the mountain.The boys were proud of the destruction they created and believed that “This belongs to us” (Golding 28). Ralph was excited that they could do whatever they want. After the pig got away from the boys when they went to find the beast, Ralph did hit him with the spear, and that was enough to feed the evil that all the boys had. The boys reenact killing the pig, pretending to hurt Robert, and even for Ralph, “The desire to squeeze and hurt was overmastering” (Golding 115). Also, going to Jack’s feast causes a crime that Ralph commits. Ralph and Piggy join the other boys and partake in the feast, the dance, the killing. Ralph knows that he killed Simon and he knows that his innocence is gone. He regrets the things he does and “cradles the conch to and fro”, wishing for order again (Golding

Show More
Related

  • To Kill A Mockingbird And Lord Of The Flies Comparison

    1253 Words  | 6 Pages

    Introduction: “Perspective gives us the ability to accurately contrast the large with the small, and the important with the less important. Without it we are lost in a world where all ideas, news, and information look the same. We cannot differentiate, we cannot prioritize, and we cannot make good choices…” This is a quote recited by John Sununu. In books, we must be able to compare and contrast the difference between one sequence from the other; from one context to the next.

    Read More

  • Corrupt Leaders In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    856 Words  | 4 Pages

    After Jack says that he meant Piggy's death, he throws a spear at Ralph with the intent of harming him, showing the tribe he isn't to be messed with. Though Jack is corrupt with power, the boys are fearful of what he will do to those who oppose him and his

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing In Lord Of The Flies Essay

    1430 Words  | 6 Pages

    Jack excitedly told Ralph, “I cut the pig’s throat” and “said proudly” all of the details about the attack including “the lashings of blood” from the pig and how he wanted to “go hunting every day” (Golding 69). The author’s use of the word “proudly” signifies how egocentric and self-glorifying Jack felt after he had just killed an innocent animal. He thrives off of killing the pig and feels satisfaction and a sense of control knowing that he has the weapon and the ability to cause fear in the animals and harm

    Read More

  • How Is Piggy's Death Shown In Lord Of The Flies

    1032 Words  | 5 Pages

    Piggy’s senseless death was a display of the lack of self-control Jack’s tribe has. Ralph watched his friend die while Jack threatened “‘That's what you'll get!’” (Page 241). The boys had lost all sense of values and morals. They had just killed one of the boys and showed no remorse.

    Read More

  • Ralph's Loss Of Power In Lord Of The Flies

    1088 Words  | 5 Pages

    Democratic power can be used to control a society, as well as establish a closeness as civilians. To lose sight of this can mean the corruption of a civilization caused by the lack of order. One’s choice of independence in order to better the chances of their survival requires complete dedication and willingness to risk. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ralph loses his democratic power due to his failure to ensure survival and protect the boys as a leader. Ralph’s failure to lead the group is due to his initial and chronic independence and inability to compete with Jack’s followers, accounted for mainly by fear.

    Read More

  • Piggy's Logic In Lord Of The Flies

    835 Words  | 4 Pages

    On the island, the boys are continually arguing, especially when a rift occurs between the group of boys. One example of Piggy’s effort to resolve the problems boys have is when Ralph goes to Castle Rock to confront Jack. Piggy helps Ralph by repeating, “‘Ralph remember what we came for. The fire. My specs.’

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Thesis Analysis

    767 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thesis Statement: In Lord of the Flies William Golding throughout the book is trying to show you that society should recognize man is evil. Introduction Paragraph: In the book Lord of the Flies the author William Golding shows a group of boys losing their innocence throughout their life stuck on this inhabited island in the pacific ocean. These boys go from being quiet and shy to violent and dangerous young little boys. Golding uses the pigs, hunting, and the boys face painting to show their lose of innocence throughout the story. There 's no rules of any sort on this island these boys landed on they are free to do whatever they want whenever they want.

    Read More

  • Evil Is Within Everyone Lord Of The Flies Analysis

    902 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although Ralph may be a good leader and Piggy may be smart, they both have evil inside of them and want to be a part of Simon’s murder. Ralph and Piggy are nowhere near being savages at this point, but their love of death still shows, even if they regret it later. Their savagery is just the result of the evil human nature inside of them that is left unchecked by civil society. On the island, the boys do not have the benefit of civilization, so they revert to human nature and instinct for survival.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Innocence Quotes

    1206 Words  | 5 Pages

    Loss of ingenuousness is exhibted in Jack’s transition from an average child to a ravenous, killing barbarians. The bullying and hurtfulness that Piggy faces on the island causes the loss of his innocence. Ralph loses his purity by observing how the events that take place on the island are turning it into a region of darkness and dread. Lord of the Flies is the perfect novel to satisfy Geoffrey S. Fletcher’s interest in “... how innocence fares when it collides with hard reality” because of how simplicity is destroyed in all characters once they have experienced the harsh realities that are introduced by the horrors of the island (Geoffrey S. Fletcher

    Read More

  • How The Pigs Hoofs Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

    976 Words  | 4 Pages

    Golding uses the word pig in the beginning of the story to show a peaceful creature who shows the slow descent into savagery with the lack of civilization . In an article written by Hussein Tahiri, he writes about how at the loss of civilization, people can become more wild-like than normal, which can be seen throughout their actions. As Jack, Ralph, and Simon explore the forest, they see a pig stuck in the creepers. Jack raises a knife to kill it, but hesitates and the pig runs away. Ralph asks Jack why he did not kill the pig, to which Golding writes, “[he] knew very well why [Jack] hadn't; because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood” (Golding 31).

    Read More

  • Conch Lord Of The Flies Essay

    1119 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the conch is a primary symbol, which represents civility and order. Throughout the book it served as a power tool that the boys highly respected, in fact, the symbolism of the conch begins before it is even blown. Ralph is the one who originally discovers and posses the shell, but it’s Piggy who explains it’s significance. Piggy has to teach Ralph how to blow it; this shows how from the beginning the conch is linked with both Piggy and Ralph.

    Read More

  • Ralph Isolation In Lord Of The Flies

    1373 Words  | 6 Pages

    After Piggy dies, Ralph becomes lonely, and regrets all the times he argued against Piggy. At the end of the story, when the boys on the island are finally rescued, Ralph thinks about this again, and reveals real emotion for the first time. The boys were all crowded around the newcomer, “And in the middle of

    Read More

  • Power And Manipulation In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

    1702 Words  | 7 Pages

    Guilt takes over Ralph’s body and he is beginning to think that maybe the boys are taking this dispute slightly too far in line with the quote, “I’m frightened. Of us” (Golding 200). Ralph is foreshadowing that something monstrous is about to happen on the island, and that maybe the boys need to reevaluate the problem and fix this before the dilemma gets out of hand. Unfortunately, that is not the case. At the end of the story, the reader can indicate that Ralph has lost his innocence by the quote, “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of true, wise friend called Piggy” (Golding 261).

    Read More

  • Essay On The Conch Shell In Lord Of The Flies

    1951 Words  | 8 Pages

    In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses items and people to symbolize many different things. These symbolic things include Piggy’s glasses, Simon’s epilepsy, the Lord of the Flies, and arguably the most important symbol, the conch shell. The conch shell was first found in the water by Piggy, who then comes up with the idea of using the conch as a blow horn to call for meetings. Throughout Lord of the Flies, the conch shell becomes not only associated with Ralph and his leadership, but with Piggy and his intuitive and wise ideas and Jack and his dictator-like, irresponsible authority. The conch shell, representing law and order, assisted in the election of Ralph as chief and ultimately determines the future of the island.

    Read More

  • Character Development In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

    1397 Words  | 6 Pages

    Everyone has this underlying darkness within them that is hidden away deep inside the nooks and crannies of their hearts. Golding demonstrates this through the use of his major characters, Ralph and Jack. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding utilizes character development to suggest the idea that when individuals are separated from civilization, dark forces will arise and threaten unity and harmony. Golding presents the protagonist, Ralph, who is decently intelligent and completely civilized, to demonstrate how once individuals are pulled away from civilization, the dark forces within them will arise and change how they are for the time being.

    Read More

More about Loss Of Identity In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

Open Document