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Lord of the Flies

Chapter 3 - Huts on the Beach

Emilie A. and Miranda V.

Pages 48-57

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Brief Overview

Jack is hunting in the woods; very dark, animalistic mood.
Ralph and Simon are building huts, everyone else is off playing around and relaxing.
Ralph brings up concerns about the little uns’ nightmares.
Ralph and Jack argue over the importance of meat vs. shelter.
Simon goes off on his own.
After making sure he’s alone, he goes to his own secret spot.

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Symbolism

Huts

Symbol of Acceptance = rescue won’t come soon; preparing for future

“‘If it rains like when we dropped in we’ll need shelters all right” (52).

Flowers and Fruit

The abundance symbolizes hope and optimism

“... the sounds of the bright fantastic birds, the bee-sounds of the island, even the crying of the gulls that were returning to their roosts...” (57).
“Flower and fruit grew together on the same tree and everywhere was the scent of ripeness and booming of a million bees at pasture” (56).

Smoke

Symbolizes hope of rescue

First paragraph through about halfway down on page 54.

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Theme

Power

Jack and the Pig

“He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up” (51).
“We want meat” (51).
“We wounded a pig and the spear fell out. If we could only make barbs” (51). -------------

Jack and Ralph

“You’re chief tell them off…” (51). (Jack to Ralph)
“They were both red in the face and found looking at eachother difficult” (52).
“Now the antagonism was audible” (51).

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Theme Continued

Innocence

Little ‘Uns

“...someone would say we ought to build a jet, or a submarine, or a TV set” (51).
“They grinned at each other, remembering the glamour of the first day” (52).

Fear of Unknown

Beastie and the Jungle

“But you can feel as if you’re not hunting, but-- being hunted, as if something’s behind you...” (53).
“‘As if,’ said Simon, ‘the beastie, the beastie or the snake-thing, was real...” (52).

Development of Civilization

Huts

“We need the shelters...” (52).
“Two shelters were in position, but shaky” (50).

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Analysis of Character Development: Ralph

Hard Worker

Working on the Shelters

“All day I’ve been working with Simon. No one else” (50).
“Been working for days now” (50).

Leadership

Lacking control

“When the meeting was over they’d work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting” (51).

Respected

“I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they’d come running” (51).

Adamant

Meat vs. Shelter Argument

Pages 51-52

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Analysis of Character Development: Jack

Animalistic

Hunting

Pages 48-49

Proud

Need to Kill the Pig

“...the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up” (51).

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Analysis of Character Development: Simon

Reclusive

Simon’s Spot

“He looked over his shoulder... to confirm that he was utterly alone” (56).

Devoted to Group’s Well Being

His Work on Huts

“‘Simon. He helps.’ He pointed at the shelters” (54).
“Simon’s always about” (55).

Getting Fruit for the “Littluns”

“...Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach...” (56).

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Literary Techniques: Imagery

Jack in the Forest (48-49)

Descent to Savagery

“Jack was bent double. He was down like a sprinter, his nose only a few inches from the humid earth.... Then dog-like, uncomfortably on all fours yet unheeding his discomfort, he stole forward five yards and stopped.... His sand hair, considerably longer than it had been when they dropped in.... He closed his eyes, raised his head and breathed in gently with flared nostrils...” (48).

Nature’s Savagery

“The silence of the forest was more oppressive than the heat, and at this hour of the day there was not even the whine of insects.... for a minute [he] became less a hunter than a furtive thing, ape-like among the tangle of trees” (49).

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Literary Techniques: Imagery

Simon’s Spot

Brightness/Colorfulness Conveys a Sense of Optimism and Hope

“He came at last to a place where more sunshine fell” (56).
“... a pair of gaudy butterflies that danced round each other in the hot air” (57).
“... the sounds of the bright fantastic birds, the bee sounds, even the crying of the gulls...” (57).
“...bars of honey-colored sunlight...” (57).

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Lord of the Flies

Chapter 4 - Painted Faces and Long Hair

Emilie A. and Miranda V.

Pages 58-75

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Brief Overview

The boys develop a daily routine.
The little ‘uns have nightmares.
The little ‘uns build a sandcastle, which Roger and Maurice destroy.
Roger follows and throws stones at Henry.
The boys paint their faces and go on a pig hunt.
They leave the fire unattended.
Ralph spots a ship, Piggy is nearby.
The fire has gone out.
The hunters caught a pig.
Ralph and Jack dispute over importance of fire and meat.
Jack breaks Piggy’s glasses.

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Symbolism

Painting Faces

Symbolizes decay of their civility

“He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger” (63).
“Jack rushed toward the twins. ‘The rest are making a line. Come on!’ ‘But--’ ‘--we--’ ‘Come on! I’ll creep up and stab--’” (64).

Symbolizes a kind of coping mechanism

“...the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from the shame and self-consciousness” (64).

Smoke

Symbolizes hope of rescue and then defeat

Hope

“The smoke was a tight little knot on the horizon...They’ll see our smoke...as a signal” (66, 67).

Defeat

“Ralph turned to the sea. The horizon stretched...barren of all but the faintest trace of smoke...Come back” (68)!

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Symbolism

Pig/Hunting

Symbolizes need/want for power

“We got in a circle-- We crept up--The pig squealed...There were lashings of blood, said Jack, laughing…” (69).

Symbolizes the savagery of survival

“We need meat” (71).

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Theme

Innocence

Little ‘Uns

“...they suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort...they found time for play aimless and trivial” (59).
“The little ‘uns played here, if not happily at least with absorbed attention…” (59). (on the beach building sandcastles)

Development of Civilization

Shelter & Hunting/Food

“You could have had everyone when the shelters were finished. But you had to hunt. We needed meat” (71).

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Theme Continued

Power and Control

Hunters and the Pig

“‘We’ve killed a pig -- we stole up on them -- we got in a circle...I cut the pig’s throat...’ The boys chattered and danced” (61).

Jack and Ralph

“You could have had everyone when the shelters were finished. But you had to hunt” (71).
“I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk But you can’t even build huts--then you go off hunting and let out the fire” (70-71).
“Ralph made a step forward and Jack smacked Piggy’s head” (71).

Glasses

When Jack takes Piggy’s glasses, making himself feel powerful while making another feel powerless (71).

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Analysis of Character Development

Ralph

Desperation for Rescue

“Ralph stood, one hand holding back his hair, the other clenched...Of all the boys, only Ralph was still. “I can’t see no smoke,” said Piggy incredulously” (66).
“‘Ralph! Ralph! Is there a signal?’ Piggy shouted...Ralph started to run, splashing through the shallow end of the bathing pool…” (66, 67).

Stress of Situation

“They let the bloody fire go out” (68).
“You let the fire go out” (69, 70).

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Analysis of Character Development

Little ‘Uns

Innocence

“They were used now to stomachaches...they suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort...they found time for play aimless and trivial” (59).
“The little ‘uns played here (on the beach building sandcastles), if not happily at least with absorbed attention…” (59).
“...all three were in complete ignorance of the excitement” (67).

Obedience

“They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it…” (59).

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Analysis of Character Development

Henry

Leadership

“Three were playing...Henry the biggest of them...Henry was a bit of a leader this afternoon…” (60).

Innocence

“There were creatures that lived in this last fling of the sea...This was fascinating to Henry” (61).

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Analysis of Character Development

Roger

Malevolent

“Roger and Maurice came out of the forest...Roger led the way straight through the castles, kicking them over, burying the flowers, scattering the chosen stones...Maurice followed, laughing…” (60).
“Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henry...Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them…” (62).

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Literary Techniques

Imagery

“Toward noon, as the floods of light fell more nearly to the perpendicular, the stark colors of the morning were smoothed in pearl and opalescence; and the head - as though the impending sun’s height gave it momentum - because a blow that they ducked, running to the shade and lying there, perhaps even sleeping” (58).

Personification

“The glittering sea rose up, moved apart in planes of blatant impossibility; the coral reef and the few stunted palms that clung to the more elevated parts would float up into the sky, would quiver, be plucked apart, run like raindrops on a wire or be repeated as in an odd succession of mirrors” (58).

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Literary Techniques Continued

Simile

“At midday the illusions merged into the sky and there the sun gazed down like an angry eye” (58).
“Like a myriad of tiny teeth in a saw, the transparencies came scavenging over the beach” (61).
“Simon crawled out of the other side of the pool to lie there, sleek and streaming like a seal” (65).