On an island that destroys innocence and welcomes chaos lives a group of boys. The book, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, was written after World War II. World War II was a very dark place, such as when Golding states that he witnessed doctors killing men when doctors are meant to protect people and heal them. A plane crashed and a group of boys was left alone on the island. Golding shows the transition of the boys from society and innocence, to savagery and chaos. Without society, our world would turn into savages, Golding shows this through irony and symbolism because of what he witnessed in World War II.
In the novel Lord of the Flies, Golding makes the book the very ironic starting at the very beginning when he makes the boys English. …show more content…
However, irony always takes the lead and does not let symbolism overtake its key role in the novel. The degeneration of the boys' way of life is also very evident through the symbolic masks. When concealed by masks of clay paint, the hunters, especially Ralph, seem to have new personalities as they forget the taboos of society that once restrained them from giving in to their natural urges. For example, when Jack first paints his face, he suddenly becomes a new, savage person; "He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" (Golding 64). Jack would not have acted in such a way if he had been in his home society, but behind the mask of paint, Jack feels free to act like a savage. It is also noteworthy, that the first mask that Jack creates is red, white, and black. These colors archetypically symbolize violence, terror, and evil, and in this novel, Golding uses these colors to illustrate those characteristics that are inherently present in humans. The feeling of liberation that results from wearing the masks, allows many of the boys to participate in the barbaric, inhumane pig hunts. Those hunts can be interpreted as symbolizing the boys' primal urges or even anarchy. It also symbolizes the transition to savagery on the island. In fact, many of the boys become so engulfed in their quest for the blood of a pig that they seem to forget about their hopes of returning to civilization and neglect to keep the signal fire burning. When Ralph tries to explain how important the signal fire is, Jack and the other hunters are still occupied with thoughts of the successful, gruesome hunt in which they just participated. The pig hunt had run its course when, “There was lashings of blood,' said Jack, laughing and shuddering, you should have
In the novel Lord of the Flies, Golding makes the book the very ironic starting at the very beginning when he makes the boys English. …show more content…
However, irony always takes the lead and does not let symbolism overtake its key role in the novel. The degeneration of the boys' way of life is also very evident through the symbolic masks. When concealed by masks of clay paint, the hunters, especially Ralph, seem to have new personalities as they forget the taboos of society that once restrained them from giving in to their natural urges. For example, when Jack first paints his face, he suddenly becomes a new, savage person; "He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" (Golding 64). Jack would not have acted in such a way if he had been in his home society, but behind the mask of paint, Jack feels free to act like a savage. It is also noteworthy, that the first mask that Jack creates is red, white, and black. These colors archetypically symbolize violence, terror, and evil, and in this novel, Golding uses these colors to illustrate those characteristics that are inherently present in humans. The feeling of liberation that results from wearing the masks, allows many of the boys to participate in the barbaric, inhumane pig hunts. Those hunts can be interpreted as symbolizing the boys' primal urges or even anarchy. It also symbolizes the transition to savagery on the island. In fact, many of the boys become so engulfed in their quest for the blood of a pig that they seem to forget about their hopes of returning to civilization and neglect to keep the signal fire burning. When Ralph tries to explain how important the signal fire is, Jack and the other hunters are still occupied with thoughts of the successful, gruesome hunt in which they just participated. The pig hunt had run its course when, “There was lashings of blood,' said Jack, laughing and shuddering, you should have