1. Choose a passage that shows a significant development or change in one of the novel's characters. (I would prefer that you write about the character you were assigned earlier this week.)
2. In the comment box below write your name, the character, the page number of the passage, and explain how the passage helps Golding develop the themes in the novel.
3. Choose a passage that shows a significant development or change in one of the novel's motifs. (I would prefer that you write about the motif you were assigned earlier this week.)
4. In the comment box below write your name the motif, the page number of the passage, and explain how the passage helps Golding develop the themes in the novel.
5. Respond thoughtfully to someone else's character and/or motif comment. Write your name, the name of the classmate to whom your responding, the name of the character/motif, and a comment.
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16 comments:
Brian Hand
Mulberry Birthmark Boy
pg. 35
The mulberry birthmark boy (MBB) is a littlun who speaks with the assistance of Piggy about a “beastie” he claims to have seen in the woods of the island. (35) MBB is one of the only littluns who is individually described in the novel, simply by noting his weak physical stature and “mulberry-colored birthmark.” (35) The littluns are always referred to as a whole rather than individuals, because they will come to represent the part of society that tend to “go with the flow”, and therefore are more valuable to the story as a single idea rather than specific characters. When MBB steps forward and projects the idea of the beast, he ripples fear and confusion through the boys. He claims the beast wanted to eat him, which is ironic because he is eventually consumed by an act of the real beast. MBB’s disappearance foreshadows the downfall of another physically weak boy with radical ideas later on in the novel. Although having a limited stay on the island, MBB’s contribution to the novel is crucial because he first introduces the beast to the boys. This beast that Golding portrays is actually a beast that exists in all people, and is what makes LOTF more than just a story. At this point in the novel, the beast is just a symbol of fear and confusion, but later it comes to motivate savagery, desire for power and other “beastly” actions.
The Beast
page 143-144
“…man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature.” When the Lord of the Flies confronts Simon, his previous idea is confirmed; that the beast the boys search for is actually a primal instinct of savagery, one that is guarded by layers of civilization and order. It is so horrifying because unlike the sow that was placed on a stick sharpened at both ends, the beast is not “something you could hunt and kill!” This scene is crucial to Golding’s examination of the inherent savage that lies within all people. In the ultimate act of irony, Simon—the only boy conscious of the real beast—is killed, by a group of boys greatly affected by the real beast. Having the boys hopelessly search for an external beast, rather than viewing themselves as the beast parallels Golding's stance that man is ignorant of his own nature.
ok so i left some interesting thoughts on the other blog...but this is the real deal
Sarah Johnson - Simon
p.143
This is Simon's most important conversation with the "lord of the flies". The pig's head seems to be talking to Simon, but the thing is, like the dragon in Grendel the pig's head is just a part of Simon's mind, taking its own form to communicate with him. The head voices all of Simon's thoughts- it explains that the beast truly is the boys, and the savage way they act in the absence of direction and society (one of Golding's themes). The passage also reveals Simon's insecurities - his desire for Ralph to accept him, the fear of not being wanted, the fear of forgetting or ignoring the truth that he knows. Simon has more intellect and emotion than any of the boys seem to be aware of. This conversation also signifies his release from silence, as he now knows he must find a way to make the boys believe that the beast is inside of them (which prompts him to climb the mountain to discover the real truth, which then results in his death, forever burying the possibility of the boys discovering the beast).
Sarah Johnson - The Forest
p.105
The boys are on the quest around the island to find the beast – looking in the places no one has ever been before. Ralph is struggling to retain his dignity and power, and leads the way. However, in this new part of the forest, he can’t help but observe the strangeness of it all. As they emerge from the forest, Ralph notices the nature of the ocean on this side of the island. The lagoon had protected them, but here the ocean “seemed like the breathing of some stupendous creature.” Ralph, like the others is intimidated, and becomes enraptured with the rhythmic pulse of the waves. This calm makes him pause and realize the absurdity of a beast- and the pointless attempt to find it since they would be powerless against it anyway. This passage is significant because it shows once again that the island is the only owner of the island. Golding works to show that the boys think the island is theirs (as proclaimed by Ralph), but really, the island answers to no one. This passage marks a sort of epiphany of Ralph (although he isn’t completely aware of it), that the boys are guests on the island, and can never tame the beast that is the island, and the beast that they themselves are on the island.
The forest on p.153 again reveals its power – the storm breaks on the “tribe” as soon as the boys have killed Simon, and the “water bounded from the mountain-top, tore leaves and branches from the trees, poured like a cold shower over the struggling heap on the sand. Presently the heap broke up and figures scattered away.” Even though the boys have the power to meet, and scheme, and to kill, even they cannot control the weather, which breaks up their great meeting within seconds. The island is slave to no one, and the boys, without organized society, cannot even protect themselves from it.
Sarah Johnson - Brian Hand
i found Brian's observations about the beast very insightful and clear. He seems to have a clear grasp on the major themes- and about how the lord of the flies expresses this theme most clearly. I especially liked how he tied it into the qutoe mr. cook gave us before reading, about Golding beleiving mankind's greatest flaw is ignorance of his own nature. I also liked how brian pointed out the irony of the "MBB" incident when he is destroyed by the crazed boys after pointing out that the beast is out to get him.
Abigail Lechleiter
Mulberry Birthmark Boy
page 35
This is the first time on the island that a thought of something bad is on the islan. The Mulberry boy is the first to come forward and say that there is something unnatural on the island. He describes the beast as a snake-thing(35) but being that he is a littlun he is not taking serious and the older boys brush off his comment. He disappears later on in the chapter after a fire gets out of control, signifying the beginning of the unraveling of the society that the boys started to build on the island. Golding uses this boy to show several things, one that the weak will not have any say at all on this island and they should either follow or shut up(ex. Piggy and littluns) also those who try to disrupt the peace of the island will not be tolerated with.
Beast
page 143
Throughout the novel the view of the beast has changed from a snake-thin to a beast with wings. While when the littluns tried to show there was a beast on the island no one believed them sating they were having nightmares but when samneric say they saw something the whole island goes in an uproar. It echo's that in society no one really believes what a little kid says but when an older member of society comes forward it is believed. The beast is really reviled when Simone comes to the conclusion that there is no actual beast, the beast is within the children and what they have become. Simone has a vision in a way of a pigs head talking to him telling him that that the beast is a part of them.(143) Golding shows how the isolation from the world has changed the boys and how hunting the beast has instead turned them into the ting they have bee hunting.
Abigail Lechleiter-Sarah Johnson
Simone
Sarah's ideas of Simone seem to really hit the nail on the head. Also how she connects the conversation between Simone and the Lord of the Flies parallels that of Grendel and the Dragon, it show extreme understanding of both books and the ideas of both authors.
Allie Lees
Ralph
p. 142
Throughout the beginning of LOTF, Ralph is one of the most adamant about keeping up a distress fire which is the boys’ only real chance of rescue. In Gift for the Darkness, Ralph completely forgets the purpose of the distress fire and the motivation for maintaining it when he makes his speech (142). Earlier, he confesses to Piggy, “We can’t keep one fire going. And they [the boys] don’t care. And what’s more—What’s more I don’t sometimes” (139). The boys’ (and Ralph’s) increasing indifference to the condition of the distress fire shows that they are also becoming more and more indifferent to whether or not they are rescued. Rescue means a return to an organized society and civilization. The boys (Ralph included) are becoming more and more wild and “uncivilized”. As they forget the remnants of their past society, they are becoming increasingly anarchic and inhumane as there is no law to tell them to do otherwise. When Ralph admits his indifference to rescue, we begin to see that he is not much different than Jack and his band and not the “golden boy” we thought he was. Later on this is confirmed again when Ralph joins in the “dance” and helps the boys to murder Simon.
Allie Lees
The Outer Beast
p. 146
From chapters six through nine, the boys believe that the dead pilot on top of the mountain is the “beastie” from their imaginations. The dead pilot represents the boys’ insistence that the Beast is outside themselves. When Simon points out earlier, “…maybe it’s only us,” the boys refuse to listen to Simon and mock his beliefs (89). As Simon is the only one who has any understanding of “the beast within,” it only makes sense that it is he who reveals the Outer Beast for what it really is. On page 146 it says, “He [Simon] crawled forward and soon he understood. The tangle of lines showed him the mechanics of this parody…”
Allie Lees
Abby Lechleiter
The Beast
I think that Abby's writings on the Beast were very important as she brought up the fact that in LOTF, there is both an Inner Beast and an imagined Outer Beast. She should be commended on her broadening of the symbol and not restricting it to one meaning.
Kaylie McTiernan- Roger
p.62
From the first time we are introduced to Roger he is very secretive and quiet. Roger likes to keep to himself. At times Roger can be impatient and pessimistic. Roger’s inner strength relates to the strength of rocks. Roger represents the brutality of their society. Roger throws rocks at Henry, but throws to miss. This shows the structure of an adult society imprinted in Roger. At this point in the book this structure is still intact. At the end of chapter six when the boys go to look for the beast they roll rocks. When Ralph asks them to stop Roger gets angry. By rolling rocks Roger shows that he wants change in the structure of society. This relates to the original decision of a leader. When deciding between Jack and Ralph, Roger is the person who suggested a vote for leader. Roger seems to have two main personalities. He is either quietly keeping to himself or acting in some sort of violent or irrational way.
Kaylie McTiernan- Rocks
p.104-105
Rocks represent the structure of society. The rocks are being described as pink and red in this section. This description relates rocks to human skin and shows that the island itself is alive. Rocks can be firm and orderly and they can also represent violence and brutality. In the beginning of the novel the society and rocks are structured. As the society begins to fall to savagery the rocks are shown crumbling as in chapter six.
Kaylie McTiernan- Abigail Lechleiter
Abby’s description of the Mulberry Birthmark Boy is very clear. She does a good job relating his significance to all the boys on the island. She also describes the development of the beast very well. She relates the inner beast well to today’s society.
Michael McGovern
Ralph
Pg. 113-114
Throughout the book Ralph has been the leader of the boys and his main priority was to keep a fire going in order to be found. However, in this passage Raplh decides to go on a hunt and get caught up in the excitement of of it. While hunting the pig, he hits it with his spear and is very excited about it. He wants everyone to know what he did and craves praise for almost killing the boar. He starts to think that hunting was not that bad to begin with and embraces it. Ralph even tries to take the attention off of Jack when he shows his injured arm. Ralph also follows Jack's commands and starts to stab Robert when they reinact the hunt. This passage shows that even though Ralph is the leader of the island and is concerned with being rescued, he has some savage qualities and is not a perfect person. This is demonstrated even further when Ralph is watching Jack hold a knife to Robert's neck and he feels the destire to hurt ,"over-mastering." This shows that there is a savage inside every person, even those who appear to be level headed.
Fire
Pg. 129-130
In the book, fire represents hope. During this passage, Jack just left the tribe and Ralph is derpressed. Piggy then presents the idea of rebuilding the signal fire. This gets Ralph's spirits up by giving him something to do and by giving him hope. The fire helps Ralph see that even though the tribe was broken, there is still hope for them to be saved and to survive the island.
Michael McGovern-Kaylie McTiernan
Kaylie did a good job of describing Roger's beleifs and how society has affected him. She also does a good job connecting rocks to society and showing that they represent a crumbling society that is moving toward savagery.
Courtland Kelly
Jack
pg. 140
Jack is intially introduced as a leader, both because he is in charge of the choir and more obviously when the author points him out as "the most obvious leader"(22) However, when the group chooses Ralph and his conch over him, Jack is embarassed and mortified, and although he continues to be confrontational and rebellious, he remains in their society. It is not until he finds something as alluring as the conch that Jack is able to break away and form his own ideal society. Like at the beginning of the novel when all of the boys are drawn to the sound of the conch, when Jack finally kills a pig, the power of the meat draws all boys to him. With a new object of power, Jack is finally viewed as the cheif.
The mask
In conjunction with the arrival of the meat, Jack dons the clay mask. The masks hides Jack's blushing and his emotional weakness, which is what restrained him during Ralph's rule. Keeping him "safe from shame or self-consciousness" (140), the mask allows Jack to commit horrible, beastly acts and blantanly reject the conch as he does when he states that "the conch doesn't count at this end of the island--"(150). The mask acts as a lens through which Jack sees the world as a powerful animal without any of the restraints of the clean, civilzed, human world.
I found the connection Brian made between the mulberry birthmark boy and Simin regarding their physical stature and ultimate fate to be very insightful. I didn't catch that and am glad that it was brought to my attention.
Alicia Unis
Piggy
pg. 151-153
Piggy is a character brought into the novel as a constant reminder and implementer of civilization. He is also a symbol of civilization when in this passge he meets the other group of boys to try to regain a sense of control and order on the island amongst the boys, as well as to get something to eat. But when the wild boys are overcome a fierce dance and reenactment of killing the pig, even Piggy joins them in their savagery that results in Simon's death. As a symbol of civilization in the novel, Piggy's character corresponds with Golding's theme in the novel of the instinctual savagery human's have. Much like order and civilization in daily life, Piggy is often ignored and overlooked by the boys but his ideas seem for the most part, to be executed for the better of the group. In ch. 9, in the brutal death of Simon, it did appear that all civilization had been overcome by savagery. As a symbol of civilization, Piggy does follow suit in the scene of the fall of civilization, in which moment he joins the demented group.In this chapter, Ralph and Piggy have finally surrendered to savagery, marking the ultimate domination of our savage instincts.
The fire
pg. 97-98
In the novel, fire is used as a symbol not only of necessity and hope, but as a reminder of the savage beast humans inherently have, as one of Golding's themes in LOTF. Much like early in the novel, when a littlun is killed by an out of control fire, fire is used to remind the boys on the island of the savargery of humans. While Samneric are tending to the fire, it is by firelight that they catch a glipse of the "beast" that they will obsess over and mistake Simon as, causing them to kill him. What they really saw was a dead parachuter, and as Simon tries to convince them that that is all they saw, and there is no beast, he is mistaken as that very beast and murdered. Fire represents hope and a necessity of survival throughout the novel, but is also used to express the inherent savagery huuman's have.
Alicia Unis- Allie Lees
Ralph
I love Allie's insights on Ralph and agree that his amount of concern for being rescued parallels a decrease in civilization on the island. I also like how she presents Ralph's relationship to Jack, and how the
differences in the two are becoming increasingly blurred and barely existent anymore.
Although I highly value her input, i disagree with Abigail's final conclusion; that "those who try to disrupt the peace of the island will not be tolerated with." In fact, i believe that the entire novel deals with disturbing the peaceful civilization attempted by Ralph, Piggy, and the conch. When Jack puts down the conch and rips the society in two, he is not only tolerated, but welcomed by a group of followers. His other forms of disrupting the peace--the face paint, the boar hunt, the savage dance-- are also welcomed, even by Ralph and Piggy.
Emily Castro
Simon
pg. 143-144
"Man suffers from an appaling ignorance of his own nature." The major theme in Golding's "Lord of the Flies" is that more often than not, human nature is the cause of destruction because the majority of mankind is oblivious to human nature. In this particular passage, Simon comes to this realization, and knows that he must tell the others. In his conversation with the "lord of the flies" Simon is not actually speaking with another entity, but rather he is hearing his own thoughts come to him from another form. Simon's mind could not communicate with him from its normal perspective, so is had to take an alternate form, the pig head, in order for Simon to comprehend his own thoughts. The thoughts relayed through the pig head provoke Simon's realization that there the beast on the island is not an actual physical creature, but instead the beast lies within all the boys, and the way in which they behave in the absence of direction and an organized, civilized society. The purpose of Golding's novel is to help mankind overcome the ignorance of his own nature, which is exactly what Simon does. However, Simon is outnumbered by those who suffer from said ignorance, so when he tries to share with them the truth that he has discovered, he is killed, and with him any and all possibility of the other boys realizing that the beast lies within them.
Emily Castro
Fire
pg.127-131
At the beginning of the novel, fire is something that unifies all the boys on the island. At first, with the help of Ralph's leadership, all the boys view fire as a positive thing, there chance at being rescued, and everyone cares about and works towards maintaining the fire, however as the novel continues, fire no longer unites the boys, but instead divides them. This passge shows that rather than all the boys agreeing with Ralph, and holding the fire in highest importance, half of the boys side with Jack, and decide that hunting is the only thing that matters. This difference in opinion causes the boys to split into two seperate groups, Jack leading the hunters, and Ralph leading the others, the one who tend the fire. At the beginning of the story the fire motif was something that united all the boys and gave them hope, but as the story continued fire adopted a new meaning, and now is a constant reminder of the split between the boys on the island.
Emily Castro
Brian Hand - Mulberry Birthmark Boy
I am extremely impressed by the connection Brian made between the death of Mulberry Birthmark Boy at the beginning of the novel and the death of Simon later in the story. That's something that I completely missed, but now that I recognize the connection I think it is of extreme importance to understanding the novel. I am also quite fond of the idea that the littluns contribute to the novel as one entity and one idea rather than individual beings repressenting numerous ideas. I think Brian's attention to detail and ability to extract important details is exquisite.
Kyle Smith
Ralph
pg. 129
William Golding is known for creating imperfect characters and Ralph is no different. He appears to be a very solid leader, a golden boy if you will, but he is a very weak person with few solid ideas of his own. Piggy is the main reason that he remains his ideals for such a larger portion of the book, but as time goes on not even Piggy can stop him from abandoning his ideals in favor of an anarchic society led by Jack. In this particular passage, Piggy overshadows Ralph as a dominant figure and proclaims Ralph’s plan of maintaining a fire. What is interesting though is that this idea demonstrates the loss of society that is ever present in this novel, as Ralph slips farther away from his roots in society, Piggy is present as a figure that continues to advocate order until his last breath.
Fire
Fire is an ever present symbol in this novel and it holds multiple meaning that greatly shape the author’s intended purpose. Arguments can be made that fire stands for hope, the savagery of humans, unity or even division. However, I see fire as a parallel to the level of “order” or control on the island. When the boys first land on the island, there is a large panic and, in one of our first views of fire, a brush fire wipes out some littuns, notably the mulberry birthmark boy who some have said represent society as a whole. Later, the fire goes out on multiple occasions, which indicates a loss of all sense of order. And in the final pages of the book, a massive inferno wipes out most of the island, and this is not the fire of civilization, but the fire of savagery. Fortunately, this fire attracts the attention of their rescuers.
Courtland Kelley - Jack
I was interested to see the connection made between Ralph and the Conch and Jack and meat. It never occurred to me that what finally allowed Jack to usurp power was not only the decay of society, but the presence of something stronger than the order representing conch; the carnal need for meat. This connection clearly demonstrates a deep understanding of the motifs in the novel.
Paul Russo
Ralph
PG 109
Ralph goes through an important maturity change towards the second half of the novel. He becomes more aware of his personal hygiene and begins to think more like a grownup. He is the only one on the island that is concerned with being rescued and willing to take action. After not being rescued for so long he begins to lose hope and lose interest in keeping the fire lit. All of these changes show signs of him losing hope within the group of boys and himself.
pg 109
"Sitting, Ralph was aware of the heat for the first time that day. He pulled distastefully at his grey shirt and wondered whether he might undertake the adventure of washing it. Sitting under what seemed an unusual heat, even for this island, Ralph planned his toilet. He would like to have back-cut this filthy hair right back to half an inch. He would like to have a bath, a proper wallow with soap. He passed his tongue experimentally over his teeth and decided that a toothbrush would come in handy too. Then there were his nails-
P.35
Mulberry Birthmark Boy
Mulberry birthmark boy is the only littleun that is given a name or described in any individual way. He says to the assembly, through piggy that there is a “snake-like beastie” on the island. The boys, especially Ralph ignore and try to disprove the fact that there really could be a beast on the island. Like charectors preceding the mulberry birthmark boy anyone who exposes a beast or monster of any sort disappears or dies. Golding uses the mulberry birthmark boy to expose the weakness and eventual fall of the society that the boys have created.
p.44
Fire
A theme in the book is the ignorance of ones inner nature, and full potential of monstrousness. The fire on page 44 represents the boys existence on the island. The boys, like the fire, start out with order and control, and eventually get out of hand and become violent. The fire is described first as a “squirrel” and then once the fire starts to get wild it’s described as a “jaguar.” The fire is a light in the dark and provides safety and a possible way back to the human world., but when the fire untamed it destroys everything.
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