Lord+of+the+Flies

Lord of the Flies


=Themes=

The Loss Of Innocence
One of the biggest themes in the lord of the flies is the Loss of Innocence. Throughout

[[image:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T3f_6utMFLM/T4Jl12Y7DrI/AAAAAAAAAG0/PKVVktm1cb8/s1600/lord-of-the-flies.png align="left"]]
the book it is conveyed constantly that the innocence of the boys is quickly diminishing. The existence of civilization is essential to keep innocence. Due to the lack of civilization in the book the boys become progressively cruel and primitive revealing the TRUE nature of man. The loss of innocence in most of the characters is very evident. Even in the beginning of the book all Jack wants to do is hunt and kill even before they have shelter. Jack also says “We want meat” several times in the book and this makes it seem like the boys are becoming more and more savage. We also see the loss of innocence when Simon comes out of the woods to tell them about the beast and they all start chanting "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill His Blood!" Here we see that the loss of innocence is making the boys have erratic behavior. Finally towards the end of the book we see Roger rolling down a boulder downhill on purpose to hit Piggy and Ralph. Piggy is hit and killed but Ralph is able to dodge the big piece of rock.

=Character Analysis=

Piggy
Piggy is short fat boy who is the center of all jokes and teasing in the book. Piggy suffers of __asthma__ and is physically weak. He is also myopic and almost blind without his glasses. Having lost his father at a young age and forced to live with his grandmother, Piggy has endured many things that other kids have not so he has a better understanding of life and is more rational. He constantly warns the boys about their foolish behavior and foolish ways. Piggy also becomes Ralph’s best friend and serves as a sounding board and an advisor for Ralph. Without Piggy there would be no fire since his glasses were the only way to start a fire. When the glasses are broken, it symbolizes the breaking up of a civilized society. His glasses are then stolen and he becomes blind to a point that he can’t not see the boulder coming down the hill before it was too late. Piggy is hit by the giant rock and falls over a cliff, he still has the conch with him but it is also broken as well as his body. In the book Piggy represents the person that everyone picks on and never listens to, yet he has the most common sense out of everyone in the island. In real life too we also fail to see these people until it is too late for us to do something about it.

Simon
We first met Simon when the choir joined the group of boys on the beach that day. He immediately fainted and we were told that that was not the first time that it had happened. He is always having hallucinations and getting sick which makes him seem weak. The way that Golding expresses Simon’s personality is by having him feed the littluns, __help__ Piggy with his glasses, and even give Piggy some of his own food. He is never once turned into a killing beast like the others boys were. He is also very smart and wise. He is much like Piggy in a way where they both have a clear way of thinking and always keep in mind the best interest of everyone on the island. Simon is the one to “talk” to The Lord of the Flies. He learns that the beast isn’t just something that you can hunt down and murder, it is inside everyone. The only way to truly get rid of the beast is to obliterate everyone on the island. The Lord of the Flies is, if Simon is not just hallucinating, the devil, or Beelzebub. If you look at that as a reincarnation of the devil, then Simon must be some sort of a “savior.” Simon died when trying to tell the boys about his discovery and encounter with the Lord of the Flies. He was trying to save and rescue the boys from themselves, the beast, and their fear, but they ended up killing him.

Ralph is the protagonist in the Lord of the Flies. From the very beginning, Ralph is already looked at as the leader of the island. When all the other boys on the island were running around and wanting to play and joking around, Ralph was planning ways to be rescued and to survive while waiting. He begins to build huts for the boys with help from only one other kid, Simon. Throughout the novel, the trials and terrors of the island begin to get to the boys and they become savages. The only one at the very end that still has some humanity left in him is Ralph. During the novel, Ralph, much like Simon, realizes that beast is in everyone and its not just one person or creature. For a brief moment in the book he thinks about joining Jack’s group to increase his chances of survival. He joins in on the hunt for a pig and participates in the dancing where they killed Simon. He immediately feels remorse, something the other boys do not. Ralph represents leadership, order, and civilization in the novel.