Lord of the Flies Key Quotes

Piggy foreshadowing Chapter 1

"We may stay here till we die." - piggy

Chapter 1 title

The Sound of the Shell

Piggy wanting to do something C1

"We got to do something." - Piggy

Jack description C1

"The boy who controlled them..." - narrator

Piggy isolated C1

"The boys were a closed circuit of sympathy with Piggy outside." - narrator

Democracy C1

"This toy of voting..." - narrator

Ralph C1 island

"This belongs to us."

Nearly pig killing C1

"The enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh..." - narrator

choir description C1

"something dark" - contrasts to sun + Ralph being "golden"

Ralph C2 - island + adults + fun

"This is our island. It's a good island. Until the grown ups come to fetch us we'll have fun."

C2 title

Fire on the mountain

Ralph rescue C2

"We want to be rescued; and of course we shall be rescued." - Ralph

Piggy parent C2 speech

"Acting like a crowd of kids!"

Piggy parent description C2

"With the martyred expression of a parent..."

Friendship - C2 - Ralph + Piggy?

"That strange invisible light of friendship, adventure and content."

Jack conch C2

"The conch doesn't count on top of the mountain, so you shut up." - Jack

Jack English C2

"We're not savages. We're English; and the English are best at everything." - Jack

The fire C2

"...on the unfriendly side of the mountain, the drum-roll continued."

Context for English quote C2

British proud of themselves as won WW2 --> Golding wants to show those people that even they have evil inside them

C3 title

Huts on the Beach

Jack --> animal C3

"Jack... became less a hunter than a furtive thing, ape-like among the tangle of trees."

Ralph - notice Jack animal like obsession

"All you can talk about is pig, pig, pig!" - Ralph

Ralph + Jack relationship

"They looked at each other, baffled, in love and hate."

C4 title

Painted Faces and Long Hair

littluns C4

"They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort."

Henry taking leadership C4

"Henry was a bit of a leader this afternoon..."

obedience C4

"Just now he was being obedient because he was interested..."

Society still ingrained in boys

"Though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still felt the unease of wrong-doing."

Transforming into monsters - human nature - C4

"He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things." - about Henry

Roger - society still ingrained in boys - C4

"Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life."

Roger description - C4

"Roger's arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins."

Jack mask - C4

"The mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness."

Ralph - fire C4

"They let the bloody fire out." - Ralph

Jack description - C4 - fun

"Jack, laughing and shuddering..."

Hunters emotion

"The buzz from the hunters was one of admiration at this handsome behaviour."

Jack vs Ralph C4

"They were on different sides of a high barrier."

Jack authority - C4

"Jack looked round for understanding but found only respect."

Ralph personal wants - C4

"Ralph watched them, envious and resentful."

Ralph rational thinking C5

"I can't think. Not like Piggy." - Ralph

C4 killing

"taken away its life like a long, satisfying drink"

C5 title

Beast from Water

order - C5 - Ralph

"We have lots of assemblies. We decide things. But they don't get done." - Ralph

Ralph authority - C5

"You voted me for chief. Now you do what I say."

Beast talk - Ralph - C5

"We've got to talk about this fear and decide there's nothing in it." - Ralph

Beast talk - Piggy - C5

"Life is scientific, that's what it is."

Beast talk - Simon - C5

"Maybe there is a beast... maybe it's only us."

Losing society/order -C5

"The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away."

Piggy questioning boys + adults - C5

"What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What's grown-ups going to think?"

Jack defying rules

"Bollocks to the rules! We're strong - we hunt!"

Description of Ralph, Piggy + Simon

"Three blind mice."

adults Ralph - C5

"We're all drifting and things are going rotten. At home there was always a grown-up."

Jack going against rules C6

"Conch! Conch! We don't need the conch any more. We know who ought to say things."

C7 title

Shadows and Tall Trees

Ralph's dream - C7

"Everything was all right; everything was good-humoured and friendly."

Ralph's hunt - C7

"Ralph was full of fright and apprehension and pride."

Ralph emotions when hurting Robert - C7

"The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering."

Ralph view on hurting Robert - C7

"That was a good game." "Just a game," said Ralph uneasily.

C8 title

Gift for the Darkness

Jack description of Ralph - C8

"He's like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn't a proper chief."

PIggy view on split - C8

"We can do without 'em. We'll be happier now, won't we?"

hunters hunting description - savagery - C8

"The hunters followed, wedded to her in lust."

pig reaction - C8

"This dreadful eruption from an unknown world made her frantic."

hunters description when they killed pig - C8

"They were heavy and fulfilled upon her."

description of Lord of the Flies - C8

"The half-shut eyes were dim with the infinite cynicism of adult life. They assured Simon that everything was a bad business."

Ralph wants/needs - fire - C8

"Without the fire we can't be rescued. I'd like to put on war-paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning."

Lord of the Flies part of Simon - C8

"You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? I'm the reason why it's no go?"

Foreshadowing by Lord of the Flies - C8

"We shall do you. See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?"

Simon sees beast - C9

"He turned to the poor broken thing that sat stinking by his side. The beast was harmless and horrible, and the news must reach the others as soon as possible."

C9 title

A view to a Death

Description of Jack - C9

"Jack, painted and garlanded, sat there like an idol."

Piggy isolated - C9

"Piggy once more was the centre of social derision so that everyone felt cheerful and normal."

Power of Jack description C9

"Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms."

Piggy + Ralph human nature C9

"Piggy and Ralph... found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society."

Connection of monster - C9 - while doing dance before storm

"There was the throb and stamp of a single organism."

Simon coming out of forest - C9

"A thing was crawling out of the forest."

Simon animal like death - C9

"There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws."

Description of 'beast' - C9

"Even in the rain they could see how small a beast it was."

C10 title

The Shell and the Glasses

Ralph talking about Simon death - C10

"Piggy.. That was murder."

Piggy talking about Simon death - C10

"It was an accident - that's what it was. An accident. He was batty. He asked for it."

Jack talking about Simon death/brainwashing (saying beast not dead) - C10

"How could we - kill - it?"

Savages reactions to beast not dead

"Half-relieved, half-daunted by the implication of further terrors."

fire symbolism

"Let the fire go then, for to-night." - Ralph

Ralph defending against attackers - human nature - C19

"He hit with more and more passionate hysteria as the face became slippery."

C11 title

Castle Rock

Piggy holding onto order - C11

"You let me carry the conch Ralph. I'll show him the one thing he hasn't got." - PIggy

Ralph not savage - C11

"We won't be painted... because we aren't savages."

savages vs Samneric

"Now the painted group felt the otherness of Samneric, felt the power in their own hands."

Ralph + Piggy description - C11

"Below him, Ralph was a shock of hair and Piggy a bag of fat."

rules vs chaos - C11

"Which is better - to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?" - Ralph

conch description - C11

"...the talisman, the fragile shining beauty of the shell." - talisman = object with magical powers

Roger evil human nature - C11

"Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever."

Piggy death description

"His head opened and stuff came out and turned red."

Jack trying to kill Ralph - savagery - C11

Jack: "Viciously, with full intention, he hurled his spear at Ralph."

C12 title

Cry of the Hunters

Ralph + Jack - C12

"There was that indefinable connection between him and Jack; who therefore would never let him alone; never."

no order/rationality/piggy - C12

"There was no Piggy to talk sense. There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch."

description of savages after adult there - boys

"A semi-circle of little boys, their bodies streaked with coloured clay, sharp sticks in their hands..."

officer view on boys - C12

"'Fun and games.' said the officer."

Leader of boys - C12

"'Who's boss here?' 'I am,' said Ralph loudly."