Lord Of The Flys Themes + Quotes

The ground was hardened by an accustomed tread and as Jack rose to his full height he heard something moving on it. He swung back his right arm and hurled the spear with all his strength. (3.5) - Jack is consistently portrayed as the hunter of the group, highlighting his primitivity and tendency toward violence.

Jack tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up.“I went on. I thought, by myself –”
The madness came into his eyes again.
“I thought I might kill.” (3.37-40) - Jack’s primitivity continues to heighten as the novel progresses. The interesting question is whether this is his real nature, having been subdued by culture, or whether the island is eroding his true self.

[Jack] began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. (4.33) - Jack’s violent tendencies seem to be tied to some sort of primitive hunting instinct. The desire to kill reduces him to this basest form of being.

“You got your small fire all right.” (2.210) - For the first time, the boys realize their capacity for destruction.

Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for [the littluns] the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands. (3.138) - The smaller boys are dependent on Simon to help them get food. Simon realizes the littluns’ dependence on him, a responsibility that forces him into the role of an adult.

Even the sounds of nightmare from the other shelters no longer reached him, for he was back to where came from, feeding the ponies with sugar over the garden wall. (6.42) - This is the loss of innocence in Technicolor. Ponies and all.

“Where’s the man with the megaphone?”
The fair boy shook his head.
“This is an island. At least I think it’s an island. That’s a reef out in the sea. Perhaps there aren’t any grownups anywhere.” (1.9-11) - The boys understand that the ruling order of society that they are used to has disappeared.

Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing into the lagoon. Something creamy lay among the ferny weeds.
“A stone.”
“No. A shell.” (1.141-143) -  It is Ralph, not Piggy, who both finds and identifies the shell. Piggy goes on to explain the conch’s sound to Ralph, but Ralph is the one who makes the initial discovery and takes possession. This is important, as the conch later enables Ralph (and not Piggy) to become chief.

“We may stay here till we die.”
With that word the heat began to increase till it became a threatening weight and the lagoon attacked them with a blinding effulgence. (1.125)

Within the diamond haze of the beach something dark was fumbling along. Ralph saw it first, and watched until the intentness of his gaze drew all eyes that way. Then the creature stepped from mirage onto clear sand, and they saw that the darkness was not all shadow but mostly clothing. The creature was a party of boys […]. (1.184) - This is about as close as we’re going to get to Golding telling us that the boys are really animals, that they are a dark black creature.

“That was awful. It kind of sat up –” 
“There were eyes –”
“Teeth –”
“Claws –”
“We ran as fast as we could –” (6.67-75)