Alex Xu

English II
Lord of The Flies Passage Analysis (Passage 5)
Due 10/13/2015

Lord of the Flies Passage Analysis:

In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses strong characterization and instances
of symbolism to help develop the story and reveal relevant themes on
human nature and society.
One example of this is the scene where Piggy is struck by the boulder
to his fatal fall. As Piggy is hit, the conch that he held in his hands exploded
into a thousand white fragments. Throughout the story, the conch
represented order in the society of the boys, so this moment is symbolic in
the sense that order no longer exists among the boys on the island,
obliterated by the boulder. Furthermore, what is more important is that
moments before being hit, Piggy was trying to talk sense into the members
of Jacks tribe, using the conch as symbolic leverage for his right to speak.
In this sense, when the boulder is released by Roger, a member of the tribe,
it became a symbol for the tribes defiant savagery that sought to eliminate
the previously established order. As the conch is destroyed, it marks a very
important turning point, as it represents the boys full transition from an
orderly society to savage anarchy.
After the boulder strikes Piggy, he tumbles over the ledge and falls
forty feet onto a rock. Immediately, his head cracks open as its innards flow

out. This is both a gruesome and critical moment for the story as a whole, as
Piggy is an integral character that served as the brains for the boys. More
often than not, Piggy was able to come up with the best ideas and determine
the most logical course of action for the boys to take, in effort to be rescued.
However, his thoughts were often met with resistance from Jack, who
regarded Piggy with strong aversion due to his unathletic physical attributes.
Because Jack is the leader of the opposing savage tribe, the death of Piggy
represents irrational savagery overpowering sensible thinking among the
boys on the island. Another detail that further supports this idea is the fact
that Piggys head cracked open as he twitched like a dying pig; it symbolizes
the complete removal of rational thought from the boys on the island, as
savagery takes over.
As if on cue, Jack immediately lashes out at Ralph by hurling his spear
at him after Piggys fall. Frightened, Ralph flees as the rest of the tribe
pursues him. This scene reinforces Jacks characteristic impulsive behavior,
especially after the death of Piggy. Here, Golding is also trying to make the
boys complete loss of rational thought and order more apparent, as he
sends Ralph, who represents orderly leadership, running away from Jack, who
is the embodiment of unbridled savagery. Furthermore, Ralph encounters the
severed head of the sow on the fringe of the forest, an unmistakable
reminder of the boys newfound status of savagery and anarchy. Thus, this
foreshadows greater conflict between the boys and Ralph that is yet to come.

Throughout this entire development, one of the central ideas that is

revealed is that in the absence of order, wisdom and sensible thinking are
often suppressed by innate human savagery. This is true in the case that with
the destruction of the conch and Ralphs authority, Piggys rational voice of
reason was killed as the savage tribe reveal their true nature. Through
characterization and symbolism, Golding is developing this theme on
multiple levels that is not only relevant to the events in Lord of the Flies, but
also related to human society on a larger scale.