englit lotf quotations

ralph’s appearance

the boy with fair hair

ralph and the conch

ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence

where roger intentionally misses the boy

roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at henry — threw it to miss

taboo of old life, original sin

roger scary appearance

“[Roger] was not noticeably darker, but the shock of black hair, down his nape and low on his forehead, seemed to suit his gloomy face.”

foreshadow emerging role as sinister figure, more aligned with the darkness golding wants to explore

roger torturing samneric

“Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority.”

no longer relying on societal or structured power — he is power through fear, wielding suggests physical, violent dominance

draws on experiences of unchecked brutality

roger kills piggy

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

joy, madness and complete release of conscience

“lever” suggests mechanical, detached killing — not emotional, just functional

death symbolises the destruction of civilisation

roger wants control and destruction unlike jack

roger at the end (considerations)

no justice served, evil unnoticed

golding criticises how true evil hides within systems, like real-life war criminals or torturers, he escapes without accountability

he embodies the darkest aspect of human nature and society may not be equipped to confront it

jack like hitler?

in lotf, golding reflects evil isn’t just in dictators, but in all people → original sin

jack mimics aspects of hitler’s rise to power eg. charismatic, taps into fears, uses violence and intimidation

jack overtaken by the thrill of violence in a hunt

he began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling

he is not pretending but losing his humanity — being animalised

violence transforms him from boy into beast

jack joking about littluns

use a littlun, said jack, and everyone laughed

suggests use a littlun in the pig ritual

not just a joke, but reveals his growing disregard for life and the group’s descent into mob mentality

flippant tone makes the threat of harm seem casual = becoming desensitised

link to how totalitarian regimes dehumanise victims

the chief

The Chief has spoken

jack’s tribe begin calling him the Chief and treat his words as law

capitalised Chief associates him with absolute authority

golding criticises how easily humans submit to oppressive power when scared or desparate

jack capturing samneric

tie them up!

brutal command where he physically persuades them to join his tribe

echoes real-world fascism where violence replaces debate

jack painting his face and being relieved of guilt

he was safe from shame of self-consciousness behind the mask of his paint

safe implies the mask removes accountability, and violence becomes easier

the paint becomes a symbol of liberation from morality

think about how uniforms and anonymity enable cruelty in war or regimes

jack and wilfred

they’re going to beat wilfred

ominous, as we never learn why. shows random, tyrannical violence

jack using punishment as a tool of fear, no reason needed

jack’s wish to be chief

i ought to be chief, said jack with simple arrogance