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Home Middelbare School EN Uittreksels Uittreksel William Golding - Lord of the Flies

Uittreksel William Golding - Lord of the Flies

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Extracts English Literature
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William Golding - Lord of the Flies

Faber and Faber, London (1954)

Title:

Lord of the Flies

Author:

William Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911. At Oxford University he studied English literature. He served in the Royal Navy, during World War Two. Lord of the Flies was his first novel, in 1962 filmed by Peter Brook. The struggle to survive, sins and behaviour are themes that Golding often uses in his books. He also wrote Pincher Martin (1957), Free Fall (1959), The Spire (1964) and The Paper Men (1984). In 1983 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Ten years later he died In 1983 Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature..

The literary period:

The Twentieth century, second part (1945 – now).

The genre:

Lord of the Flies

Summary:

A group of British boys, all between six and twelve years old, are dropped on an island in the tropics. Nobody knows that they are there. On the beach Ralph meets Piggy, one of the boys, who has found a conch shell, which Ralph uses to call the boys.

Jack, the leader of a small group of boys, wants to be the leader of all the boys, but they vote for Ralph. Ralph decides that he who has the conch can speak and that the others have to listen. He also says that Jack and his choir are the hunters, who have to take care of the food and the fire, which is lit to signal to ships navigating off shore.

Then the hunters go hunting and forget the fire. Ralph and Piggy see a ship, but the ship can't see them because the fire is out. Ralph is now very angry with Jack. Jack angrily breaks the lens of Piggy's glasses . Now the situation deteriorates. Jack and his choir become savages and paint their faces.

There is a rumour about a beast living in the woods. One night Eric and Sam spot something at the top of the mountain, which they assume to be the beast. Jack and Ralph go to the top of the mountain and run away, when they think they've seen the beast, which is actually a dead airman. Many of the boys are still scared. Jack starts an independent tribe and they hunt a pig, whose head they put on a stick to please the beast.

Meanwhile, Simon is walking through the jungle and stares at the pig's head, which is covered with flies. He imagines that the head - the lord of the flies - is speaking to him. It warns him that nobody can escape from the beast, because the beast is latently present in everybody. Simon faints and when he revives he climbs to the top of the mountain, where he finds the dead airman. Then he walks down to tell the boys the truth about the beast. He is killed by Jack and his tribe, who think he's the beast. Ralph and Piggy go away. Jack's tribe steal Piggy's glasses. Ralph and Piggy go to Jack to ask for the glasses to be returned. Suddenly they're having a big fight, and Piggy is killed. The conch, symbol for order, is destroyed. Ralph has to run for his life, and after a long pursuit he finds a naval man and knows he's safe. He cries.

Time:

The story takes place in an undefined period of time in a fictitious future after an atomic war.

Setting:

An isolated group of boys live on a tropical island with a beach, a lagoon, a mountain, a castle-shaped rock and a jungle; a real laboratory experiment by Golding.

Characters and relationships:

Ralph:

The main character in the book. He remains the brave hero throughout. He and Piggy show their intelligence by realising the importance of the fire.

Jack:

He is the leader of the choir. After a while he developes a liking for killing pigs and becomes a savage. He even tries to kill Ralph.

Piggy:

He is the intelligent advisor of Ralph. He likes to read and wears spectacles. He's called Piggy because he's fat. He is killed at the end of the story.

Credibility:

….

Theme:

The central theme is evil. Golding pictures a group of boys who turn into evil savages under extreme circumstances. They return to their true nature, which according to Golding is evil. The story represents a kind of laboratory experiment.

Motto:

None.

Linguistic usage:

The story is told in a not too difficult manner. However some parts have to be read very carefully. The tension is built up all the way through and explodes at the end of the story.

Dedication:

None.

Perspective:

The story is told by an omniscient author, who can enter the minds of his characters but who also remains at a distance. Golding seems to demand reason and common sense from his readers, while those characteristics disappear from the island.

Construction:

The book is divided into twelve chapters, which are numbered and have subtitles. It contains 255 pages.

Own opinion on the book:

Your opinion!

is a futuristic fiction novel, it takes place in an imaginary future. It is assumed that an atomic war has broken out. It is also a theme novel, the central theme is Evil. When the boys are on the island, their natural condition, evil, is developed into an omnipotent influence.
is one of the names of the devil. When the boys put the head of a sow on a stick to please a monster, it begins to rot and attracts a lot of flies. The book is mainly about evil, so the title is well chosen.

 

Don't limit your challenges; challenge your limits.

Begrens niet je uitdagingen; daag je grenzen uit.

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