Name: Pierce Thompson Section: 8B
Why does Ralph cry at the end of Lord of the Flies? What does Golding mean when he writes about “the end of innocence” and the “darkness of man’s heart?”
LoF Analytical Essay: The Savagery of Mankind and What it Does to People
Lord of the Flies is a novel by William Golding about a group of boys who survive a plane crash on an unknown island. They start by building shelters and a large fire to create smoke for ships and planes to see. However, the leader of a chorus that was in the crash breaks off and starts to hunt pigs on the island, becoming savage. Others join him, and the civilization falls apart. They’re eventually rescued, but three people are already dead.
Ralph has seen the worst …show more content…
Simon came rushing down the hill to tell the others that the beastie on the mountain was really a dead man in a parachute when they all jumped on him, yelling and stabbing blindly as Simon screamed out. When they cleared, Simon was stone dead. They dumped his body in the sea, letting it wash out to rest on the ocean floor. Simon came down from the mountain, “crying something about a dead man on a hill. ‘Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!’... The beast struggled forward, broke the ring, and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws,” (152, 153). This is when the shit hits the fan. When Ralph realises what had happened, he freaks out about it like any normal person would. But Jack simply stands there and tries to defend himself rather than mourning for the loss of one of the people of the chorus. This is mainly where Jack splits off with the hunters and sets up camp at Castle Rock. Piggy freaks out as well, and now he and Ralph have to take care of the littluns and keep the fire going and protect Piggy’s spectacles. Ralph sees that he will have to cope on his own to get rescued by the next ship or airplane, and that Simon had really been the person that tied the separated groups …show more content…
Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric go to Castle Rock to confront the hunters and to convince them to give back Piggy’s glasses. Samneric are captured by the hunters, and since Piggy’s blind, he has to stand behind, always in fear of falling off the cliff. “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow for chin to knee... Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went... Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red... Then the sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink over the rock; and when it went, sucking back again, the body of Piggy was gone,” (180, 181). This shows finally shows that the savages have lost it. When Simon died, it could have maybe been passed off as an accident, but this time it was on purpose. Roger pulled the lever to release the rock, and sent it down on Piggy. It was his choice to do it, and he could have stayed his hand if he wanted to. This shows that Ralph knows Jack has lost his marbles and he now is without a friend on an island filled with people trying to hunt him
Why does Ralph cry at the end of Lord of the Flies? What does Golding mean when he writes about “the end of innocence” and the “darkness of man’s heart?”
LoF Analytical Essay: The Savagery of Mankind and What it Does to People
Lord of the Flies is a novel by William Golding about a group of boys who survive a plane crash on an unknown island. They start by building shelters and a large fire to create smoke for ships and planes to see. However, the leader of a chorus that was in the crash breaks off and starts to hunt pigs on the island, becoming savage. Others join him, and the civilization falls apart. They’re eventually rescued, but three people are already dead.
Ralph has seen the worst …show more content…
Simon came rushing down the hill to tell the others that the beastie on the mountain was really a dead man in a parachute when they all jumped on him, yelling and stabbing blindly as Simon screamed out. When they cleared, Simon was stone dead. They dumped his body in the sea, letting it wash out to rest on the ocean floor. Simon came down from the mountain, “crying something about a dead man on a hill. ‘Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!’... The beast struggled forward, broke the ring, and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws,” (152, 153). This is when the shit hits the fan. When Ralph realises what had happened, he freaks out about it like any normal person would. But Jack simply stands there and tries to defend himself rather than mourning for the loss of one of the people of the chorus. This is mainly where Jack splits off with the hunters and sets up camp at Castle Rock. Piggy freaks out as well, and now he and Ralph have to take care of the littluns and keep the fire going and protect Piggy’s spectacles. Ralph sees that he will have to cope on his own to get rescued by the next ship or airplane, and that Simon had really been the person that tied the separated groups …show more content…
Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric go to Castle Rock to confront the hunters and to convince them to give back Piggy’s glasses. Samneric are captured by the hunters, and since Piggy’s blind, he has to stand behind, always in fear of falling off the cliff. “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow for chin to knee... Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went... Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red... Then the sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink over the rock; and when it went, sucking back again, the body of Piggy was gone,” (180, 181). This shows finally shows that the savages have lost it. When Simon died, it could have maybe been passed off as an accident, but this time it was on purpose. Roger pulled the lever to release the rock, and sent it down on Piggy. It was his choice to do it, and he could have stayed his hand if he wanted to. This shows that Ralph knows Jack has lost his marbles and he now is without a friend on an island filled with people trying to hunt him