Lord Of The Flies Analytical
- Pages: 5
- Word count: 1195
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Order NowIn Goldingâs âLord of the Fliesâ, much of the plotâs theme and symbolism is initiated by the fluctuation and depiction of the setting. Throughout the novel, Golding narrates the story as an omniscient third person so that the setting of the book unfolds to the reader as the boys explore. The island, in which the boys inhabit, is a microcosm of the real world, and the boysâ indifference to the wellbeing of the island directly reflects mankindâs interaction with nature in the external world. Golding uses setting in âLord of the Fliesâ not only to create atmosphere but also situations in which the characters can reveal their inner selves.
In the opening chapter, Golding foreshadows later events by associating the portrayal of the island to his understanding of the boys. Golding uses differing imagery to present the island in both a positive and sinister light, suggesting that although it appears to be a tropical paradise, the island has a more menacing background. Piggy has been âscratched by thornsâ and Ralph has been tangled âamong the creepersâ as if the island was purposefully preventing them to make progress. When Ralph and Piggy first met, âthe ground beneath themâ was âscattered with decaying coco-nuts and palm saplingsâ.
Immediately, Golding is juxtaposing the idyllic idea of a paradise island filled with âcoco-nuts and palm saplingsâ with the more disturbing imagery created by the connotations of âdecayingâ. Whilst the word âsaplingâ implies new life and hope, âdecayingâ suggests death and despair. Later on, the boys eat fruit thatâs either not ripe enough or overly ripe, which subsequently have adverse effects on the boys such as âchronic diarrhoeaâ, emphasising the destructive nature of the island. Golding is using the imagery of the island to foreshadow when the boys begin to break down towards feral and unrestrained behaviour.
Like the island, the young boys have the outward appearance of innocence, but hidden within their hearts is unfathomable evil not unlike the ominous side of the island. Contextually, being a teacher, Golding would have had first hand experience in witnessing how cruel young boys can be. He later said that he understood boys with âawful precisionâ. Golding presents the beginning of destruction in the boyâs hearts through the decline in their management of the island as well as to express his own thoughts on the relationship between mankind and nature.
Devastation begins with the boyâs arrival on the island as the crashing plane leaves a âlong scarâ in the forest âcovered with coarse grass, torn everywhere by the upheaval of fallen trees. â Unknowingly, the boys have already injured the island showing the darkness within them they have yet to realise. In chapter two, âbeneath the capering boys a quarter of a mile square of forest was savage with smoke and flameâ exemplifies what began as a signal fire, turned into a raging inferno of fire that burned down âa quarter of a mile square of forestâ.
Savage with smoke and flameâ is a deliberate pun on Goldingâs behalf as it portrays both the burning forest but also the âcapering boysâ that felt no remorse in burning the firewood and fruit trees. The fact that the boys are âcaperingâ highlights their excitement at having discovered fire as a weapon, and towards the resolution of the novel, when Jack and his tribe uses it against Ralph, it leaves the island a âburning wreckage. â Since the island is a microcosm of the outside world, Golding expresses his opinion on how mankind treats nature.
He feels that mankind is destroying nature through warfare and weapons such as the atom bomb like the boys are destroying the island with fire. Contextually, this would have been foremost in Goldingâs mind as âLord of the Fliesâ was written during the Cold War, when tensions between the USSR and USA were at its highest due to both countries possessing weapons of mass destruction. Another significant contribution to setting is Castle Rock, an âalmost detachedâ pile of rocks that lie towards the right end of the island.
Golding uses and likens Castle Rockâs description and imagery to Jackâs power and position amongst the boys on the island. Upon first discovering the area, there are mixed reactions between Ralph, who says âThis is a rotten placeâ and Jack who becomes excited and exclaims âWhat a place for a fort! â Golding is presenting how Castle Rock, a âdetachedâ pile of rocks that âin a matter of centuriesâŠwould make an islandâ appeals to Jack because of its isolation and detachment from the main island.
Similarly Jack wishes for supremacy and sole influence over the other boys, as opposed to being a normal boy, and this transition in character is exemplified whenever he is at Castle Rock; Golding would capitalise him as âThe Chiefâ instead of his former name âJack Merridewâ implying that at Castle Rock Jack morphs into a different character. Furthermore, it is not only Jackâs character that changes at Castle Rock but also the boys in his tribe who simply become nameless âsavagesâ.
This is significant as the setting of Castle Rock represent the official transformation of the boys into barbarism and how there is no hope of them returning to their previous, refined conduct. Golding uses pathetic fallacy throughout chapter 9 by mirroring Simonâs death with the stages of a storm to illustrate Simonâs connection with nature on the island. At the beginning of the chapter there is a sense of a build up to something terrible by Goldingâs description âthe air was ready to explodeâ and the clouds âbroodedâ.
The personification of brooding clouds suggests that nature itself is aware of Simonâs death and it is building suspense up to that moment. The storm reaches a climax during the dance and the air is depicted as âdark and terribleâ with the âexplosionâ of lightning. Golding opts for adjectives like âdark and terribleâ instead of weaker descriptions such as âbadâ to highlight the malevolence of Simonâs murder. This lightning is a hint as to the immaturity of the boys who are still so young that they are afraid of lightning and yet are able to commit murder without feeling guilt.
This stresses on the savagery and violence within the boys. After Simonâs death, Golding creates a peaceful atmosphere to create a contrast with the frenzied dance and the âdark and terribleâ weather beforehand. The air is now described as âcool, moist and clearâ and the âclear water mirrored the clear sky. â Such a direct contrast so soon after the chaos of the middle of the chapter creates quite a shocking mood but also a reminder of Simonâs calm and peaceful attitude to nature.
In conclusion, Golding uses the setting in âLord of the Fliesâ as a theme in the overall novel. The island is representative of the way Golding views the boys, innocent in outlook, but with a heart of evil. Golding also relates how the boys treat the paradise they have landed in to mankindâs treatment of nature in the real world. To illustrate Jackâs personality, Golding uses Castle Rock as his haven to show his desperateness for supremacy and lastly Golding employs pathetic fallacy to approach build ups to suspenseful events such as the death of Simon.