CHARACTERS & themes
,CHARACTERS
ALL Quotes
Ralph:
Plot:
- He uses the conch to create order and control (blows it to call meetings).
- His main goal is for the boys to be rescued (obsessed with signal fire).
- He is courageous and sticks up for his beliefs.
- He is the only boy who survives the island, who has not changed.
- Finally, he is hunted by Jack’s tribe of savages, showing that their civilization has broken
down.
Portrayal:
- Immature at first - name kept as ‘piggy ‘
- becomes intelligent and values thought than fun and games - matured -> sees piggy>
jack
- charismatic
- protagonist
- Focused on being rescued
- Originally image of masculinity & strength - leadership becomes fragile
- Middle class
Symbol:
- Order
- Civilization
- productive leadership
- goodness of society
- everybody is susceptible to the dehumanising effects of loss of civilisation
- Individualism
- Ego - freudian analysis [about negotiating reality, striking balance between id and
superego] -> tries to maintain cohesion between boys and compromise
Themes:
- Power & Leadership
- democracy
- Civilisation v Savergery
- Loss of innocence
- Good v evil
Development:
- Chp 1-4
- establishes civilised society
- Chp5-9
- boys descend into savagery
, - Jack’s tribe feasts, Ralph becomes swept up in their frenzied attack on Simon -
kills S.
- Chp 10-12
- Ralph realises the truth
- Piggy dies and Jack chases Raph
- Ralph meets a naval officer & weeps at what the boys have become.
Golding uses R:
- consistently attempts to do what is “right”
- repeatedly refers to the values and moral codes of English society
- selfless spirit when, after winning the leadership vote, allows Jack to remain in charge of
his choir
- Beginning - creates a sense of hope and optimism
- Makes the fall of civilisation more tragic
- strongest of individuals can succumb to the “darkness” lurking within
- Susceptible to the dehumanising effects of losing civilisation
- Ralph changing = hope for society
Quotes:
- a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil p15 -CvsS
- "You're a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!"[about jack] p220 - CvsS
- -Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through
the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy. P248 - Loss/Innocence
- "That was Simon." “You said that before” “Piggy.” “Uh” “That was murder” p192 -
Loss/Innocence
- Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh p142 -
Des/Savag
- Screaming snarling bloody p245 - Des/Savag
, Jack:
Plot:
- He decides that his choir boys will be hunters.
- He steals Piggy’s glasses to make fires.
- He kills the first pig and encourages dancing and chanting.
- His urge to hunt and kill becomes an obsession for him.
- He does not care about Ralph’s rules (because he thinks he should be in charge).
- With his own tribe, he is a cruel and evil leader.
Portrayal:
- Strong-willed
- Egomaniacal [egostical/ selfcentred]
- obsession for power.
- Arrogant
- Autocratic [ruler with absolute power]
- Authoritarian
- individualistic [prioritises his personal desires at the expense of the group] -> [ Jack says
“Bollocks to the rules!” :considers civilisation and cooperation less appealing than “the
brilliant world of hunting”]
- Influential [promise of a rule-less tribe is attractive to boys- demonstrated at end of novel]
Symbol:
- Chaos
- Violence
- Savagery
- Loss of humanity/ civilisation/ identity
- Innate violence [“slashed” at flowers (as opposed to Simon, who admires their beauty ;
killing a pig feels to him like taking “a long satisfying drink”)
- Dictatorial rule
- Id - freudian analysis [concerned about basic desires and needs]-> takes role of hunter
and provider straight away, -> never gains complete control of boys = bowing to basic
desires can be dangerous & unsatisfying
Themes:
- Power and Leadership
- totalitarianism
- Civilisation vs Savagery
- Innate evil
- Descent into savagery
- Loss of innocence /identity
- Good v evi;
Development:
- Chp1-4
- Jack is established as Ralph’s opposite
- only wants to hunt
- Jack argues with Ralph about loss of signal fire
,CHARACTERS
ALL Quotes
Ralph:
Plot:
- He uses the conch to create order and control (blows it to call meetings).
- His main goal is for the boys to be rescued (obsessed with signal fire).
- He is courageous and sticks up for his beliefs.
- He is the only boy who survives the island, who has not changed.
- Finally, he is hunted by Jack’s tribe of savages, showing that their civilization has broken
down.
Portrayal:
- Immature at first - name kept as ‘piggy ‘
- becomes intelligent and values thought than fun and games - matured -> sees piggy>
jack
- charismatic
- protagonist
- Focused on being rescued
- Originally image of masculinity & strength - leadership becomes fragile
- Middle class
Symbol:
- Order
- Civilization
- productive leadership
- goodness of society
- everybody is susceptible to the dehumanising effects of loss of civilisation
- Individualism
- Ego - freudian analysis [about negotiating reality, striking balance between id and
superego] -> tries to maintain cohesion between boys and compromise
Themes:
- Power & Leadership
- democracy
- Civilisation v Savergery
- Loss of innocence
- Good v evil
Development:
- Chp 1-4
- establishes civilised society
- Chp5-9
- boys descend into savagery
, - Jack’s tribe feasts, Ralph becomes swept up in their frenzied attack on Simon -
kills S.
- Chp 10-12
- Ralph realises the truth
- Piggy dies and Jack chases Raph
- Ralph meets a naval officer & weeps at what the boys have become.
Golding uses R:
- consistently attempts to do what is “right”
- repeatedly refers to the values and moral codes of English society
- selfless spirit when, after winning the leadership vote, allows Jack to remain in charge of
his choir
- Beginning - creates a sense of hope and optimism
- Makes the fall of civilisation more tragic
- strongest of individuals can succumb to the “darkness” lurking within
- Susceptible to the dehumanising effects of losing civilisation
- Ralph changing = hope for society
Quotes:
- a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil p15 -CvsS
- "You're a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!"[about jack] p220 - CvsS
- -Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through
the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy. P248 - Loss/Innocence
- "That was Simon." “You said that before” “Piggy.” “Uh” “That was murder” p192 -
Loss/Innocence
- Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh p142 -
Des/Savag
- Screaming snarling bloody p245 - Des/Savag
, Jack:
Plot:
- He decides that his choir boys will be hunters.
- He steals Piggy’s glasses to make fires.
- He kills the first pig and encourages dancing and chanting.
- His urge to hunt and kill becomes an obsession for him.
- He does not care about Ralph’s rules (because he thinks he should be in charge).
- With his own tribe, he is a cruel and evil leader.
Portrayal:
- Strong-willed
- Egomaniacal [egostical/ selfcentred]
- obsession for power.
- Arrogant
- Autocratic [ruler with absolute power]
- Authoritarian
- individualistic [prioritises his personal desires at the expense of the group] -> [ Jack says
“Bollocks to the rules!” :considers civilisation and cooperation less appealing than “the
brilliant world of hunting”]
- Influential [promise of a rule-less tribe is attractive to boys- demonstrated at end of novel]
Symbol:
- Chaos
- Violence
- Savagery
- Loss of humanity/ civilisation/ identity
- Innate violence [“slashed” at flowers (as opposed to Simon, who admires their beauty ;
killing a pig feels to him like taking “a long satisfying drink”)
- Dictatorial rule
- Id - freudian analysis [concerned about basic desires and needs]-> takes role of hunter
and provider straight away, -> never gains complete control of boys = bowing to basic
desires can be dangerous & unsatisfying
Themes:
- Power and Leadership
- totalitarianism
- Civilisation vs Savagery
- Innate evil
- Descent into savagery
- Loss of innocence /identity
- Good v evi;
Development:
- Chp1-4
- Jack is established as Ralph’s opposite
- only wants to hunt
- Jack argues with Ralph about loss of signal fire
