Critical Analysis of Lord of the Flies (first Few Chapters)

Lord of the Flies Critical Analysis

(only the first half)

From the beginning of Lord of the Flies by William Golding up until the very last punctuation mark, it is instinctively known that this is one of the very best reads you will ever encounter in your lifetime.

This beautifully written piece of work is about a group of British boys whose plane was shot down and the “passenger tube” was released so it could crash land on a jungle. The boys are the first humans to touch this island, and the author describes a “scar” on the island that is represented as the first touch by a human. The author’s use of symbolism is apparent and adds to the total “feeling” of the true genius of this book.

The main idea in the story is society and they way humans function socially. It is a sort of “guinea pig test” to see how boys would act without adults around, although it is all completely fictional. At the beginning of the story, Ralph pretends to “machine gun” Piggy. This tells the reader of the presence of a war occurring on the world outside this island. After the discovery of the conch, all the boys are assembled on the beach, a leader is picked and the characters are placed before the reader’s eyes. We get a good sense that Jack is someone who is a stubborn, spoilt child who is always used to getting his way and will go to extents to get his way. Ralph is that quiet boy who everyone wants to listen to because of his charms and everyone is eager to be his friend. Right away we get a sense of foreshadow that Jack and Ralph are close to becoming rivals. In a way, Jack is Ralph’s foil. Piggy is a fat boy who’s self confidence will never match up to his intelligence, Simon is the one who’s sticking close to Ralph and we get a feeling they will be good friends, and as for Roger, we get a sense that he will be Simon’s foil, and Jack’s good friend.

As we read on further in the book we discover that these young boys are getting wild and more savage. The author uses a good metaphor for Jack’s “war paint” that he wears before going to kill a pig. It signifies a ‘mask’ that people wear when in different situations and do things that people wouldn’t think normal. This mask allows Jack to be confident and more powerful in him, it brings forward a monster that is wallowing deep inside Jack and it takes over his body. It allows him to be free and be exactly what he wants. Jack’s obsession to catch a pig is also significant in the way that it makes the reader aware of the more savage lifestyle these boys are heading into. The author also uses Jack to foreshadow. As Jack’s obsession with killing a pig heightens, we sense a feeling of upcoming dilemma or major problem in the story.

When war broke out in Europe many lives were affected and we see the influence this had on William Golding when he carefully wrote this book and calculated every event. Society at the time was experiencing new traumas and shocks and the boys that are stranded on this little island in the Indian Ocean represent this war. The fire at the top of the mountain represents the hope of living through this life changing conflict, a light for people to look towards in a time of utter desolation, a reminder not to fade away. This fire, to me, means a lot of things. When my grandmother passed away I was completely heart broken. We had a special bond between us. One day I went over to her house the day before she went into the hospital and she took me into her bedroom and gave me this gorgeous blue and gold candle and said