Lord of the Flies, Chapter 1

With our book deadline fast approaching, we will be spending a lot of time conferencing on writing in class.  However, that doesn't mean we have to sacrifice great literature!  As we read Lord of the Flies, you will be doing a lot of the analysis in your book on your own in book clubs.  Don't worry, though, I will provide some notes on the blog to help you along.

Overview:

Lord of the Flies is a novel published in 1954 by William Golding.  It is set on an uncharted island on which an airplane full of young English boys (ranging in age from about 6 to 13) crashes.  No adults have survived, so the boys are left to their own devices.

List of Key Characters:

• Ralph: Our protagonist.  "Fair" haired (notice the potential double-meaning here!), tall, natural leader.  Has a "stillness" about him that other characters look up to.  Elected chief.
• Piggy:  Poor Piggy.  This isn't his real name, but Ralph betrays him early on by revealing to the rest of the boys this dreaded nickname.  Unfortunately, it sticks.  Piggy is fat, self-conscious, and, a little annoying.  That said, he's the brains of this operation, feeding Ralph all of his ideas (including the all-important conch).
• Jack Merridew:  The leader of the choir, this guy rules with an iron fist.  He makes the choir members keep their robes on in the stifling heat of a tropical island!  You gotta know that Golding is going for some symbolism when he gives him that fiery red hair and ugly face.  Look out for this guy, he didn't appreciate losing the vote for chief to Ralph.
• Roger:  Not as noticeable as the big three above, but this young man becomes important later on.  Notice that it's his idea to hold a vote and that he is described as having "an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy".  You might have overlooked him at first, but don't let him sneak up on you!
• Simon: Another seemingly minor character who will grow to play an important role.  He smiles a lot and has an easy laugh, though he's prone to fainting spells.  Ralph also chooses him to go on their first exploration along with Jack.

Key Things and Moments

• The conch:  This is a big seashell that makes a loud, deep sound when blown into.  With Piggy's advice, Ralph uses it to call the other boys on the island to a meeting.  Symbolism alert!  The conch really stands for a democratic rule of society (as whichever boy holds it has the right to speak uninterrupted... a rule that proves difficult to enforce!).

• Ralph, Jack, Simon... and the piglet:  The first chapter ends with an interesting moment.  The three boys come across a baby pig struggling in the brush.  Jack whips out his knife, but hesitates long enough to let the piglet escape.  This moment shows us that these boys still have a sense of their humanity left: they aren't quite ready to kill... yet.

• Look out for how the main characters symbolize different styles of leadership.  This will show up again and again throughout the book.