Lord of the Flies Quotes and Significance

Sorry about the formatting, The quotes are on one line, the location and significance of the quote are on the next line

Eyes shining, mouths open, triumphant, they savored the right of domination.

Chapter 1, Page 29 This quote comes from the first chapter after the group of boys were able to make a fire after focusing sunlight with Piggy’s specs. The fire symbolizes civilization and good within the boys, and later in the story the fire being let out symbolized the evil and savagery that is developed on the island.

They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood

Chapter 1, page 31 This passage occurs after Jack sees a piglet stuck in vines and pull out his knife to kill it. He hesitated and did not kill the pig because it had the chance to free itself and flee. Jack said he didn’t kill the pig because he didn’t know where to cut it and says that he will kill the next pig he sees. But here, obviously was the truth. This passage is significant because it shows that Jack was not a savaged but a disciplined, civilized person, who would not kill a pig without remorse.

He felt himself facing something ungraspable

Chapter 2, Page 37 This is in chapter 2, it describes Ralph’s feeling of the beast. This later comes back in the book when Simon says that the beast is not a physical form but the inner evil within all of the boys. Ralph, to an extent, also realized this and fells that the beast is ungraspable physically, but does not realize that it’s the innate evil within humans.

“I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things.”

Jack, Page 42 Another significant passage about the civilized part of Jack. Here he even claims that they’re not savages with a nationalistic tone. This is ironic because by the time they killed the pig and hung up the Lord of the Flies, they gave in to savagery, even though they were Englishmen.

Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.

Chapter 4, Page 62 Here is the beginning signs that the group of boys are declining in civilization and turning into savagery. However, at this point civilization still has more power than savagery and Roger, while tormenting Henry, could not give completely into his savage instincts but instead throw rocks around Henry. The decline of morals starts from small steps into unforgivable acts, here Roger is showing the first signs of the boys giving in to savagery

His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink.

Chapter 4, Page 70 This quote shows another large step into savagery after Jack kills his first pig. Jack gloats in the kill and is occupied with the thought of the first kill. Before in the novel, Jack says that hunting is necessary to provide meat for the group. Now it is clear that Jack is obsessed with hunting because of his primitive instincts and has nothing to do with providing nourishment for the group.

“But I tell you that smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one.”

Ralph, Page 81 Ralph starts saying this as Jack is fed up with not being the leader. Here Ralph says as a last argument that the fire is more important than hunting. The significance of this is the fact that a fire will signal a rescue ship. This eventually happens in the end.

‘What I mean is... Maybe it’s only us.”... Simon became inarticulate in his efforts to express mankind’s essential illness.”

Simon, Chapter 5, page 89 Simon says these words in Chapter 5, where he talks about the beast. While the other boys were talking about the beast as a literal beast that hides in the woods, or in the water, as a physical being, Simon says that the beast is only the boys themselves. Simon does not fully understand this idea until in Chapter 8 where he faces the Lord of the Flies in a hallucination. This becomes clear that the beast is the evil within the boys and the savagery among them.