Lord of the Flies: Religion and Spirituality
por Loren Emond
1. heaven
2. mad
3. omen
4. "'As if it wasn't a good island.' Astonished at the interruption, they looked up at Simon's serious face. 'As if,' said Simon, 'the beastie, the beastie or the sake-thing, was real. Remember?'" (Golding 52).
4.1. When Simon says "as if it wasn't a good island" he is addressing that it seems like the spirit of the island is evil, and all of the nightmares that have occurred are like a bad omen. As it turns out, Simon was correct that the beast is real and it's alive in every one of them.
5. "Holding his breath he cocked a critical ear at the sounds of the island; the sounds of the bright fantastic birds, the bee-sounds, even the crying of the gulls that were returning to their roosts among the square rocks, were fainter. The deep sea breaking miles away on the reef made an undertone less perceptible than the susurration of the blood" (Golding 57).
5.1. Spirituality is shown in this part of the text because Simon is seen here giving things on the island human characteristics as though these objects have their own spirits and are all connected with life. Simon seems to be one with the Earth, as though he and it are in tuned with one another.
5.1.1. personification
6. Loren
6.1. "Swearing, he turned off the trail and pushed his way through until the forest opened a little and instead of bald trunks supporting a dark roof there were light grey trunks and crowns of feather palm. Beyond these was the glitter of the sea and he could hear voices."(Golding 49.)
6.1.1. Spirituality is being showed by saying that within the sea, he could hear voices. The voices are speaking to him. In order to speak, you must have a spirit; which shows spirituality.
6.2. "What I mean is... maybe it's only us."(Golding 89).
6.2.1. Simon says none of the littluns pick up. He's trying to trick them so they don't get scared. He most likely thinks the 'beast' is with them. He's suggesting the beast is just their personalities.
6.3. "The air was heavy with unspoken knowledge."(Golding 158).
6.3.1. Something was in the air which was surrounding the boys. Someone or something was in the air that was speaking to the boys without actually speaking.
6.4. "The tide swelled in over the rain-pitted sand and smoothed everything with a layer of silver."(Golding 154).
6.4.1. Silver lighting covered Simon's spirit. I see this as God lifting Simon up to Heaven; like God's way of welcoming him up. Much like in the movies.
6.5. "He held out the conch to Piggy who flushed, this time with pride."(Golding 172).
6.5.1. When Piggy got the conch, he was really happy and proud. In order to feel such strong feelings, I believe that there must have been a spirit upon them that gave Piggy such positive vibes.
7. "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy" (Golding 202).
7.1. This excerpt shows spirituality because when it says, "Ralph wept for the end of innocence," Golding is trying to show that Ralph has learned the over all message that all men are capable of being evil and nobody will always be innocent and perfect forever.
8. conscience
9. "He closed his eyes, raised his head, and breathed in gently with flared nostrils, assessing the current of warm air for information. the forest and he were very still" (Golding 48).
9.1. This is a good example of spirituality because it shows that Jack and the forest were in sync with one another, as if the spirits in each of them were in harmony with what the other was feeling.
10. Meghan=green bubbles
11. "Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express mankind's essential illness" (Golding 89).
11.1. Simon is directing his views here of "mankind's essential illness" being the evil in every man's spirit, and the fact that this fate is inescapable.
12. evil
13. human nature
14. imagination
15. "'I'm frightened. Of us. I want to go home. Oh God, I want to go home'" (Golding 158).
15.1. With Simon gone, Ralph is finally realizing that what Simon said was right. They are what should be feared. Ralph participated in the killing of one of the best boys on the island and he's afraid to admit it. All of the crazy energy that went around the circle caused the boys to become things that they weren't even aware of. The inner beast was Simon's discovery, and Simon's death. With the realization of this situation continuously getting worse, Ralph simply wants to go home. He's frightened of himself and the rest of the stranded boys. This represents spirituality because Ralph can finally see the big picture, and it's almost as if part of Simon must still be with them on the island.
16. "Suddenly, pacing by the water, he was overcome with astonishment. He found himself understanding the wearisomeness of this life, where every path was an improvisation and a considerable part of one's walking life was spent watching one's feet. He stopped, facing the strip; and remembering that first enthusiastic exploration as though it were part of a brighter childhood, he smiled jeeringly" (Golding 76)
16.1. Spirituality is shown in this passage because Ralph is taking a step out of himself and looking at the actual strangeness of their lives and situation. He's getting rather bored with this life and is thinking it to be "wearisome." This also represents a change in Ralph's character. He remembers the time that wasn't too long ago when the walk along this stretch of island was interesting and exciting. It's likely that Ralph has changed more during this relatively short time on the island than he has in his whole life. It was all fun and games and adventure when they arrived on the island, but now Ralph's life is filled with responsibility for himself, and many other immature boys who happen to be turning a bit savage.
17. Savagery
18. "Before these fantastically attractive flowers of violet and red and yellow, unkindness melted away. They became a circle of boys around a camp fire and even Piggy and Ralph were half-drawn in. Soon some of the boys were rushing down the slope for more wood while Jack hacked the pig. They tried holding the whole carcass on a stake over the fire, but the stake burnt more quickly than the pig roasted. In the end they skewered bits of meat on branches and held them in the flames: and even then almost as much boy was roasted as meat." (Golding 73).
18.1. In desperate times, people show their true colors. This is true no matter what crisis you look at, from starvation to the Holocaust to getting stranded on an island, like the boys. We see the first example of this in chapter 4 when Jack and the boys let the fire go out, eliminating their chance of being rescued by the ship they saw. Then, when Piggy and Jack get into it, it provides glimpse about what unkindness and desperation can do to a person. However, in situations like that, working together is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, because more gets done and the chance of survival is more likely. This has to do with religion/spirituality because one has to believe this in order to make it happen.
19. "All at once, Robert was screaming and struggling with the strength of frenzy. Jack had him by the hair and was brandishing his knife. Behind him was Roger, fighting to get close. The chant rose ritually, as at last the last moment of a dance or a a hunt. 'Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Bash him in!' Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering" (Golding 114)
19.1. This quote shows spirituality because the beast inside of Ralph is slowly emerging. He cannot control it. The desire is "over-mastering." Without even realizing what his actions were doing, he too poked Robert with the spear and unknowingly joined in the game. It wasn't even something he thought about, he just did. The boys' wish to find the beast is becoming true. The first night on the island, not even Jack would've done this. Ralph becoming infatuated with the idea of killing "pigs" is just further proof of his savage side. He so badly wanted to have the boys be impressed that he focused only on killing the pig as soon as he saw it coming toward him. He also made great effort for his actions to be noticed. He was so proud of stabbing the pig and just wanted recognition. His actions are coming out of the need to maintain control and power which also helped him to poke and scratch Robert with eh spear. Wanting to be worshiped by those who have gone savage can only cause him to become savage along with the rest of them.
20. "'All this i meant to say. Now i've said it. You voted me for chief. Now you do what i say.' They quieted, slowly, and at last were seated again. Ralph dropped down and spoke in his ordinary voice. 'So remember. The rocks for a lavatory. Keep the fire going and smoke showing as a signal. Don't take fire from the mountain. Take your food up there.'" (Golding 81).
20.1. This passage relates to spirituality because it shows that the boys obey and respect Ralph. He is their "spiritual figure " because he provides hope and order in this makeshift society the boys made. Beause of that, they obey what he says. For example, as the passage says, the boys were getting antsy and rambunctious when Ralph was talking. Then the second he commanded them to obey him, they calmed down and listened to what he had to say. It shows that the boys have a sort of belief in Ralph.
21. "Vividly they came before him; he could have reached up and touched them, could feel the weight and slow slide with which The Mammoth Book for Boys would come out and slithered down... Everything was all right; everything was all right; everything was good-humored and friendly." (Golding 112).
21.1. This passage shows Ralh's desire to go back to the way thing were. He is starring to really miss all the things about his home, because they are safe and familiar. This has to do with religion and spirituality because instead of a beast inside of him, it is showing this innocent and younger side of him; a side that isn't really shown in any other parts of the book. When it says that everything was good-humored and friendly, it is emphasizing the difference between then and now.
22. "Nothing prospered but the flies who blackened their lord and made the spilt quts look like a heap of glistening coal. Even when the vessel broke in Simon's nose and the blood gushed out they left him alone, preferring the pig's high flavor." (Golding 145).
22.1. The "lord" the author is talking about is the pig's head-- the Lord of the Flies. In chapter 8, Simon is hallucinating and we see this other side of him-- like his doubt sin himself. In chapter 9I think it really comes through about how Simon is the spiritual figure in this book. He is sacrificed by the boys, in a way. This has to do with religion/spiriuality because Simon is the only one who didn't turn completely saage like the toher boys. It's unfortunate that he dies was the only one that could have kept them all sane, even for a little bit.
23. "Just an ordinary fire. You'd think we could do that, wouldn't you? Just a smoke signal so we can be rescued. Are we savages or what? Only now there's no signal going up. Ships may be passsing.' (Golding 170).
23.1. When the boys are questioning whether they are savage or not, t provides a sense of irony because in reality, they actually are becoming savages. Some of the boys think there was nothing wrong with what they did to Simon, because it was an "accident". However, any sane person would know that murdering someone is almost never an accident This quote has to do with religion/spirtuality because of that. Its sort of showing how some of the boyss are starting to recognize this inner beast in them.
24. "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went. The rock bounded twice and was lost in the forest. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head and legs twitched a bit, like a pig's after it's been killed" (Golding 181).
24.1. This passage is very spiritual because Piggy, the only logical boy on the island, is now dead. This symbolizes the fact that everything is not only falling apart, but getting smashed to pieces. Without Piggy, Ralph is alone for the most part. There is nobody to come up with brilliant ideas that mostly kept the boys from killing each other. Sometimes all you need is one person, and without Piggy, Ralph has nobody. He will drive himself to the point of insanity, in which case all of the rest of the boys will live on the island until they kill each other.
25. Abby
25.1. "Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger's arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins" (Golding 62).
25.1.1. This passage represents spirituality because Roger refrains from throwing the stones close enough to hit the littleun. He doesn't do this because he's too nice, but because of the moral code that has been hammered into the back of his mind. Roger still assumes there must be authority figures hovering somewhere watching his every move, waiting for a moment to punish or correct him. It's a feeling that he has known for his whole life, so now, even when the adults are gone, he still wants to do the right thing to spare his privilege. This shows spirituality because Roger has a clear sense of something greater than himself. He's learned that actions have consequences. he knows that just because he can't see the greater being, or force, it must still be there because it has caught him so many times before. It has built a "six yard" force field around the victim of his torture.