Simon

Simon is the character in Lord of the Flies that represents benevolence, and his occasional trips to his hideaway in the woods give him opportunities to express his thoughts to himself and not be judged by the other boys who find him weird. Though he is viewed by the other boys as slightly odd, in reality, he observes situations more rationally than most of them. For example, as the boys progressively worry themselves about the "beast" on the island, Simon proposes another possibility, "Maybe there is a beast....maybe it's only us." This quote expresses Simon's sole realization of the truth- that the society created by the boys on the island is potentially dangerous because it is governed by the irrational fear of the "beast".

Vocabulary

Embroiled, 92- 1. To bring into discord or conflict 2. To throw into confusion

Piggy, finding himself uncomfortably embroiled, slid the conch onto Ralph’s knees and sat down.

Strident, 16- having quality of harsh sound: creaking, grating

…the note, fluking up an octave, became a strident blare more penetrating than before.

Enmity, 14- deep-seated, often mutual hatred

He trotted through the sand, enduring the sun’s enmity…

Declivities, 49- downward slopes of the ground

But Jack was pointing to the high declivities that led down from the mountain to the flatter part of the island.

Befouled, 141- filthy, soiled

The green light and the glossy patches of sunshine played over their befouled bodies.

Gesticulating, 142- making or using gestures in an excited manner

“We was scared!”, said Piggy excitedly… He was gesticulating, searching for a formula.

Ensconce, 174- to shelter or cover securely

…ensconce himself so deep that only a crawler like himself could crawl through.

Scurfy, 100- covered with dead, scaley matter from the skin

…the skin of the body, scurfy with brine.

Gyration, 65- the act of revolving or whirling

He went on scrambling… Jack broke out of his gyration and stood facing Ralph.

Festoon, 86- to cover wth a string or chain of flowers

Here the breeze was fitful and allowed the strings of the parachute to tangle and festoon.

Jack

Jack is the antagonist in this novel. Jack primarily becomes upset when Ralph becomes the inital leader because he is power hungry. Jack soon leads the boys from civilized young men into savages through the novel. He is described as a malicious and animalistic character. Always attempting to weaken others, he leads the boys into the the murder of piggy. “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” is what Jack and his group of hunters chanted after they killed a pig which shows his savage nature.

Modern Comparison

Many modern examples can relate to this intriguing novel, but an example of current day events relating to this novel is the devastating actions that took place among the inhabitants of Haiti And Chile during the aftermath of the earthquake that struck these countries. Through the television and radio we hear how many things are happening around the world every minute. During recent news and broadcasts we heard of how the inhabitants of Haiti were taking every possible action in order to survive and regain what they had lost. Many of their survival needs were gained through stealing and corrupt actions. Recently Chile experienced an earthquake also which caused for its citizens to take similar actions like those of Haiti. These actions support the point of the novel in that corruption takes over reality when there is not a centralized strong form of government with rules for a society to follow.

Piggy

Piggy is the chubbiest boy on the island and since he told Ralph that kids used to call him Piggy it stuck with him and the reader never learns his real name. At the beginning Piggy did not seem to be an asset because of his weight and asthma but his glasses is what keeps hope alive. Without Piggy's glasses, the lighting of a fire was impossible. Piggy represented intellect because he was the most rational character by the way he thought out everything. It was his idea to use the conch shell to summon the boys and when Ralph was disheartened about rescue, he picks another area to build the fire. "How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper?" This quote shows that Piggy is the rational character. Sadly, Piggy is killed by a boulder that Roger pushed down the hill.

Simpson's Parody

Literary Elements

William Golding's purpose in writing Lord of the Flies was to express his feeling of distaste with the tendency of man to disregard law and order due to his nature- the source of defects in society. The tone of the author is serious and descriptive while interacting with young boys who treat the grave events of the story as if they are games. The moods of the audience are sympathetic, horrified, and disgusted; each is derived from the behaviors of the boys who commit these heinous acts of killing without thought or consequence. The voice of William Golding is one of sincere concern for the state of humanity. His word choice and order clearly express his original and personal feelings about the eventual ruin that approaches any situation in which laws and decisions cannot contain the barbaric nature of rebellion.
Symbolism plays an important role in Lord of the Flies where every item and person is significant. The conch, for example, represents law and order on the island. When the conch is shattered, all prior rules are forgotten and the island is left lawless. Piggy's specs also represent the progression of the story and the transfer of power from their use for fire in Ralph's attempt to be rescued to their mutiple obductions by Jack who progressively breaks them with each snatch. Piggy himself represents intelligence and rational thinking, Ralph represents leadership, Jack is the opposing force who is overcome by power, Simon is the general goodness in society, and Roger represents the sanguinary bloodlust of humanity.
Foreshadowing is used in a few situations to predict coming misfortunes. When the boys first decided that Jack and his choir would keep the fire going and istead they went hunting, this negligence was first predicted by Jack's annunciated interest in killing a pig for meat, "Next time!" It can also be foreshadowed that Jack and Roger plan to spear Ralph's head on a stick like the pig when Samneric says that they have a stick sharpened on both ends.
Though the conflict would be assumed to follow the format of Man vs. Wild, being trapped on a deserted island does not cause the boys problems with supporting themselves. Instead, the conflict is Man vs. Man, or more specifically, Ralph vs. Jack. From the moment Jack Merridew appears, he tries to obtain the role of leader among the boys who vote and give the position to Ralph.