The Effects of Power For the majority of kids younger than the age of 12, the longest they have stayed away from home is at most a week-long summer camp, covered with supervising adults, provided meals, and safety regulations. So, for most, to be away from one’s own family for an extended period of time is nearly as bad as the end of the world. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a novel about young boys who become stranded on an uninhabited island after a plane crash. Gradually, over time, they change from kind, civilized boys into ferocious killing savages. William Golding conveys the general theme of power affecting a person both positively and negatively, though mostly negatively, through the symbols of the conch, the spear, and
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This spear is one of the first weapons on the island, used to present an offering to the beast after killing a pig. “Sharpen a stick at both ends...Jack held up the head and jammed the soft throat down on the pointed end of the stick which pierced through the mouth. He stood back and the head hung there, a little blood dribbling down the stick” (136-137). A pre-teen should not be capable of killing a wild animal and decapitating it as well. However, through the power of the spear as a weapon and protection, Jack turns into a bloodthirsty hunter and killer. This symbolic double sided spear was seen again in Roger’s hands later in the story when he becomes the punisher for Jack. “But what are you going to do when you catch me?...Roger sharpened a stick at both ends” (269). Ralph is scared and pleading with Samneric to know what will happen to him when he is caught. The twins gravely respond in this vague manner, implying that they are not exactly sure but it will be very violent and painful. They imply this from the last time the double sided stick was used, to place a dead pig’s head on top as a ceremonial offering. Roger used to be an innocent choir boy, but power through the spear has turned him into a punisher and savage. The spear obviously represents power and what it does to change
This spear is one of the first weapons on the island, used to present an offering to the beast after killing a pig. “Sharpen a stick at both ends...Jack held up the head and jammed the soft throat down on the pointed end of the stick which pierced through the mouth. He stood back and the head hung there, a little blood dribbling down the stick” (136-137). A pre-teen should not be capable of killing a wild animal and decapitating it as well. However, through the power of the spear as a weapon and protection, Jack turns into a bloodthirsty hunter and killer. This symbolic double sided spear was seen again in Roger’s hands later in the story when he becomes the punisher for Jack. “But what are you going to do when you catch me?...Roger sharpened a stick at both ends” (269). Ralph is scared and pleading with Samneric to know what will happen to him when he is caught. The twins gravely respond in this vague manner, implying that they are not exactly sure but it will be very violent and painful. They imply this from the last time the double sided stick was used, to place a dead pig’s head on top as a ceremonial offering. Roger used to be an innocent choir boy, but power through the spear has turned him into a punisher and savage. The spear obviously represents power and what it does to change