Lord of the Flies (Characterization)

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Lord of the Flies (Characterization) by Mind Map: Lord of the Flies (Characterization)

1. Ralph and Piggy just realize the reality of their situation. Simon was killed, and they participated in the event, even slightly, but still participated. They really liked Simon, and they are still feeling human about killing him accidently unlike the boys at the other side of the island. They pay no attention to fact they killed him, making them more barbaric and inhumane then they have ever been, while Piggy and Ralph have kept some of their civility and humanity. Simon was the voice of reason in the groups and was very helpful to them, especially Ralph, who only basically had 2 good friends until Simon died. Though he did die, the book foreshadowed in it many places, such as the conversation where Simon says to Ralph that he’ll be alright, but nothing about himself making it off the island.

2. Tristan's Quotes

2.1. “Only, decided Ralph as he faced the chief’s seat, I can’t think. Not like Piggy.” (Golding 78)

2.1.1. This is the point in the good where Ralph finally admits that Piggy is a much better and smarter thinker then Ralph. Ralph may be jealous of Piggy, just as Piggy is jealous of Ralph, just in different ways. Piggy thinks logically, as Ralph thinks instinctively, which are both good traits to have for the survival of them all. Ralph is starting to give up hope, telling by his statements such as this one. He initially started the change when the ship passed by, and he slowly started making thoughts about not wanting to be chief.

2.2. "Smoke! Smoke!" (Golding 65)

2.2.1. After the ship passing by because of Jack letting the smoke go out, Ralph is pissed, and genuinely worried about his survival. Since Jack let his pig-killing priories take over his smoke-keeping job, Ralph realizes their chance at rescue is diminished. Unlike Ralph, Jack does not give a care in the world about the smoke going out and that they didn't get rescued. Since he got so caught up in blood-lust and hunting, becoming more barbaric, he cares about hunting and his selfish self. This refers to what happens when people get caught in blood lust, such as soldiers in war which I believe Golding was referring to.

2.3. "I got to have those specs. Now I only got one eye..." (Golding 72)

2.3.1. This is the point in time where Jack actually harmed a human physically, right after his pig hunt. Piggy's specs broke, so he was only able to see out of one eye. The specs were a part of Piggy, and he is much more useless without them. Ironically, right after Jack hunted the pig, Piggy was the one attacked, which foreshadows to future events in the story. He was not able to defend himself from the blows, just like the pig. "Kill the Pig, slit her throat, bash her in"

2.4. “Simon.” Piggy said nothing but nodded solemnly. (Golding 155)

2.5. “Ill blow the conch,” said Ralph, “and call an assembly” “We shan't hear it.” (Golding 151)

2.5.1. This is a main point in Jack’s and the other boy’s leaving Ralph. They care not for democracy, just for their meat. Not rescue, not shelter, no reason. This is the point where they find the conch meaningless, which was the main object holding the boys together. Not that it is meaningless, the boys will feel they can do whatever they want without chief’s order. They will start to become Barbaric while Ralph, Piggy, and few others and hopeless.

3. Alex's Quotes

4. "Bollocks to the rules!" (Golding 91).

4.1. This quote comes from Jack after the ship passes and Ralph calls a meeting. Jack gets irritated at Ralph because of all the rules he must follow. This I think might lead to a future conflict between the two that might lead to a big fight and cause major problems for both of them. This quote also expresses a little in my opinion Jacks jealousy towards Ralph position as leader. Lastly this also shows Jacks attitude towards Ralph's rules and how he no longer agrees with them and does not care for them anymore.

5. "I want to go home!" (Golding 157).

5.1. This quote comes from Ralph after the feast that Jack held and witnessing Simon get brutally murdered. Ralph might have stated this quote before and show how much he wants to go home but this quote shows how desperately he truly wants to go home as well as some of his anger as to how they haven't been rescued yet. This shows how Ralph's usually calm nature and good stress handling still cant cope with his main problem since he has arrived on the island. I think this can eventually lead to future insanity by Ralph.

5.2. I wanna go home, Performed by the talented and amazing Sandy Cheeks on the children's television show Spongebob, and it relates on how the kids may feel in this scenario.

5.3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_ADjpeLg1w

6. "Why do you hate me?" (Golding 118).

6.1. This quote comes from Ralph in chapters 7-8. Ralph says this quote after they go looking for the beast up on the mountain and after they come down and head in to the forest. Ralph and Jack gets in to another dispute with Ralph after a disagreement on whether they should head on to the pig run in the dark. This quote shows how Ralph is starting to wonder again why Jack wont listen to him even though he is the leader. Like many of my other quotes this shows Jack and Ralph never ending conflict for everyone's favor for them over the other and there never ending dispute on leadership.

7. "Who will join my tribe?" (Golding 151).

7.1. This quote is said by Jack after his leave from Ralph's tribe so he could make his own tribe. To be specific, it was said at Jack's feast. This quote makes Jack sound selfish because it makes it look like he held the feast just so he could recruit more people in to his tribe. This quote also makes Jack seem power hungry and that he feels like he must look better then Ralph as leader so he holds a feast and tries to make Ralph feel like he is more dominant and makes a better leader because he can "provide" food for his tribe whereas Ralph cant. Lastly the quote also in my opinion makes Jack look cocky because he asks this question with what seems like an air of authority and power even though no one accepts his offer.

8. "He's not fatty, he's Piggy!" (Golding 21).

8.1. This quote coming from Ralph is spoken right after the conch is blown for the 1st time and the boys all come towards the beach. This quote I think even though it sounds mean is actually meant to defend Piggy rather then to offend him. Granted that piggy said he doesn't want to be called that, Ralph only said that was his name because he thought Piggy would appreciate it more than being called fatty. This might lead to some bitter feelings later within the book as well as well as less respect. This quote alone might also change everyone's view towards Piggy now because of his new nickname. He might get made fun of. In my opinion even though i think he was just defending him, i also think it was a mean move on Ralph's part.

9. I chose this picture of the glasses because it shows how one lens of Piggy's is cracked and his blindness now. -Alex Chan

10. I chose the picture of the conch because it shows the symbol of democracy on the island. -Alex chan

11. I like how you took this quote and gave a fantastic explanation of why Ralph feels unqualified to be a leader. I agree with you when you say he wanted to quit being leader and pass down his authority to Piggy. -Jack

12. I completely agree with you when you say that this might lead to future conflicts between Jack and Ralph. I really like how you detail Jack's feelings toward Ralph's rules. -Jack

13. Piggy from Lord of the Flies: I chose this picture to go with this quote because it shows what Piggy looks like and why he is called Piggy. He is called Piggy because he is fat which is shown in the picture. ~Tori W.

14. Piggy and Ralph Blowing the conch in the original movie. Ralph was attached to it from the very beginning, as this quote shows -Tristan

15. I like how you detail why you think Jack is acting the way he is. I am in complete agreement with you when you say that Jack looks really cocky in this quote. -Jack

16. I think this quote is very very important because Ralph is finally standing up to Jack and plain out confronting him about their little rivalry. Ralph has finally gotten the guts to plain out ask Jack and try to solve their battle. -Tori W.

17. I totally agree with Tristan in this quote because with Piggy being physically hurt, foreshadows future events with Piggy that will probably not end well. It's possible, since they are going to retaliate, that Piggy or someone else might die. -Tori W.

18. I love this quote because it shows Piggy's personality in the beginning of the book and how he doesn't mind his difficulties in life. -Tori W.

19. I completely agree with This, though Jack may have thought they would try and get revenge, which is why he thought they would come back -Tristan

20. The picture i chose for the beast shows how the kids imagined the beast stalking them in the dark and how they actually think it's a beast. -Alex Chan

21. “I shall take a few hunters with me and bring back meat. The defenders of the gate will see that the others don’t sneak in. A savage raised his hand… “Why should they try to sneak in, Chief?” “They will. They’ll try to spoil things we do” (Golding 160).

21.1. I find it kind of funny that Jack is the one who is saying that Ralph and Piggy are trying to spoil their plans when they haven’t stolen anything from Jack. Jack on the other hand has stolen fire and now Piggy’s glasses from them. Ralph and Piggy haven’t tried doing anything to them. Jack is the savage not Piggy or Ralph. However, if Jack was to do something terrible to Ralph and Piggy, like stealing the glasses, Piggy and Ralph would make a plan and retaliate immediately. I can prove this because at the end of chapter 10 they are making their plan to attack or steal back the glasses.

22. “His voice trailed off. The hands that held the conch shook… The humiliating tears were running from the corner of each eye. “I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you”…I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot”… He leapt down from the platform and ran along the beach, paying no heed to the steady fall of tears” (Golding 127).

22.1. Jack thinking he is at his highest point of leadership, for actually seeing the beast, he thinks he can over throw Ralph from his chief position. He thinks this because he thought Ralph was a coward the night they saw the beast and thinks he can convince the others that Ralph is too much of a coward and is not the real leader. When he cannot convince them enough to vote Jack as the new chief, all of his emotions just flow out of his tears, not even noticing it. He moves on saying he can’t be a part of this group and just leaves by himself, to fend for himself. Doing this, Jack is hoping those of the choir will follow him and join with him on their hunt for a new adventure.

23. “Ralph felt a kind of affectionate reverence for the conch, even though he had fished the thing out of the lagoon himself” (Golding 78).

23.1. Since the beginning, Ralph had the conch as his symbol of power. It was his toy to call in the meeting and to lead them. Whoever had the conch could speak and the others would have to listen. The conch is Ralph’s way of controlling the meetings and keeping them from going wild. The conch reminds Ralph that he is chief and there is a lot of pride of being chief. Just looking at the conch gives Ralph that little boost he needs to stay true to himself and keep going being the one that everyone looks up to. Although it’s a lot to take on, Ralph can pull through.

24. “The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body” (Golding 202).

24.1. Just at the sight of the officer and all of the worst memories coming back to Ralph, causes him to lose control. He can’t control the constant tears and weeping pouring from his own eyes. He remembers Piggy and Simon and how they were his closest friends and how they were both killed during this terrible war. The feelings he had been holding back forever were pouring out of his soul and pouring out like a waterfall, fast and furious. It was good for Ralph to let it out. Also, at the sight of Ralph crying, it causes the little ones to cry as well for everyone knows that this is it. They are going to get rescued. The war will end and the fire behind them will leave their mark on the island.

25. Jack's Quotes

25.1. "Inside...he was tall, thin and bony...his hair was red...two light blue eyes...ready to turn to anger." (Golding 20)

25.1.1. Jack, just from appearance, I could tell wanted to be the leader. He is also described as what Satan is said to look like. William Golding made Jack look like Satan because he might turn out to be the cruelest person out of everyone. Jack was also described as “ready to turn to anger.” You can infer from that statement that Golding gave Jack a very short temper to go along with his “hellish” looks.

25.2. "He would like to have a pair of scissors and cut his hair...like to have a bath...toothbrush would come in handy...there were his nails-" (Golding 109).

25.2.1. In this quote Ralph is feeling very self conscious toward how he looks compared to a modern civilization. He is judging only himself, not him and everyone else, which could mean that Ralph is really starting to miss modern civilization, and resent the island for making him so dirty. I believe that Golding made Ralph think this way because he is reminding the readers that they still have a life to return to, and that their past also took place on the island.

25.3. I really like this quote, as it shows how he is paying attention to his self image, and losing confidence in himself. This is also the time where he says to himself that Piggy is smarter then him, and wondering about his chief position. -Tristan

25.4. "He pulled distastefully at his grey shirt and wondered whether he might undertake the adventure of washing it."(Golding 109).

25.4.1. When Ralph is “distasteful” toward his grey shirt, it is pretty obvious that he might be thinking lesser of himself for having dirty clothes. It can also mean that Ralph is starting to be more self conscious toward how he looks, even when living on the island. It hints that he might be leaning toward modern civilization again, even though he knows his chances are very slim.

25.5. "That's right. Can't catch my breath. I was the only boy in our school what had asthma," said the fat boy with a touch of pride." (Golding 9).

25.5.1. I believe that the fat boy is prideful of being set apart from others. He might have also been proud because he was the only one who didn't have to run (or most likely do other exercises). I believe that William Golding made the fat boy proud of his asthma because it is foretelling how he will have to rely on others to do most of the physical work. I also believe that it is foretelling how he will not be the “fittest” in the “survival of the fittest.”

25.6. "The thing was crawling out of the forest. It came darkly, uncertainly. The shrill screaming that rose before the beast was like a pain." (Golding 152).

25.6.1. When Simon crawls out of the forest, he is clearly hurt. Him being injured was clearly observable by the fact that when he crawled out of the forest, he cried out in pain. He is clearly set apart from the others now more than ever because everyone actually thinks he’s the beast, not even a human. Later, in the midst of the other kids beating him with their spears, he clearly speaks out against the chanting, screaming, and the lightning, trying to tell the boys about the beast not being a beast, but a dead paratrooper. I believe Golding did this because it shows the fall of democracy, starting with the murder of Simon.

26. Tori's Quotes

27. “Ralph, carried away by a sudden thick excitement, grabbed Eric’s spear and jabbed at Robert with it… Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to hurt was over-powering” (Golding 114-115).

27.1. Now all of a sudden, a fierce and almost blood- thirsty side of Ralph randomly appears just at the sight of teasing, fighting, and reenacting a pig kill that could have happened. Ralph had never showed this side until now. We knew Ralph as the fair and caring person of the group. Now he wants in on the teasing which is nothing like Ralph. Also, maybe seeing everyone else taking part kind of switched something in Ralph mind that made him think maybe he’s missing out on something that could be fun. Kids just want to have fun so it makes sense.

27.1.1. I wouldn't necessarily say it happened randomly, knowing that even though he is more civilized then everybody else, he still lost some of his humanity, but other then that, I agree that Ralph is showing an unseen side of himself. - Tristan

28. I really like how you described Jack as looking like Satan and how he has a hellish look. I also like the quote that you chose to describe him as Satan. -Alex Chan

29. I really like the quote you chose as well as the way you describe why Ralph feels something towards the conch. I also liked how you described how the conch made him feel and what it reminded him of such as position as chief. -Alex Chan

30. I feel that this quote you chose is right on the point. I like how you interpreted Jack's emotions toward Jack and the rest of the boys. I also like how you detailed out his extreme hatred for Ralph. -Jack

31. Lucifer from Television show "Supernatural". It shows His appearance, which is very similar to the appearance of Satan, just as Jack is. -Tristan

32. I really like how you say how Ralph feels when the officer comes. I like how you detail why Ralph cries and what he is crying for. -Jack

33. I love that Jack picked this quote because it shows Ralph likes to look presentable and that he isn't a savage like everyone else is becoming to be, -Tori W.