Language & Culture II Ana Laura Bozzani

LORD OF THE FLIES- some notes

STORY: Hypothetical Treatment of Particular Scientific Concerns

• Is it better to live sensibly according to rules and standards of behaviour or to live in a state of anarchy?
(Ch11)
Rational Society vs Barbarism and anarchy
Rationality & Awareness vs Barbarism & Anarchy

DESCENT INTO CIVILIZATION:

1- Killing for fun more than to eat
2- Painting faces (pagan image)
3- Ritual around the fire
4- Killing of the pig
5- Playing and pretending one littlun is a pig
6- Head of the pig as an offering
7- Disregard of rules established for the island
8- Killing of Simon- Unintentional violence (out of instinctual panic)
9- Attack of hunters against Piggy and Ralph
10- Killing of Piggy- Premeditated murder

SYMBOLISM
Lord of the Flies Literal translation of Beelzebub, the name of a
devil in the bible
The head of the saw stands for the evil of
unreason, the state of savagery and its flies
buzzing around, the primitive impulses
Simon´s conversation with the Lord of the Man´s inner conflict, highest abd lowest
Flies aspirations
Simon´s death • The discovery of the truth and the
difficulty to accept it because they had
chosen barbarism and savagery
• Ralph and piggy´s participation in the
murder represents the universality of
guilt
Conch-Shell Order and stability identified with democracy
and the right to free speech
The Beast The capacity of evil in all human beings
The fire Reason and the hope of humanity