Essay Planning with Context & Predicted Themes and Characters

English Literature

Lord of the Flies Characters

Ralph…

• “we ought to have a chief” — Emphasizes the need for rules
  • Golding believed that without rules, mankind would unleash their inherent evil and savagery. Ralph represents the ego in Freudian Theory. The ego represents mankind’s decisions influenced by instinct and what society has deemed appropriate. Jack represents the id, which is mankind’s impulses and instincts. Piggy represents the superego, which acts based on what society has deemed appropriate and fights mankind’s instincts.
• “You voted me chief. Now do as I say.” — Figure of authority —> Democracy
  • Golding comments on politics; even in a democracy where all people should have a say, the figure of authority controls who they want to have a say, so it’s not that free; people don’t even really know who they’re voting for —> they just voted Ralph because he blew the conch
• “they walked along, two continents of experience and feeling unable to communicate” — Contrast to Jack’s authority
  • Cold War —> Ralph represents the USA’s democracy while Jack represents USSR’s communism. The Cold War sparked fear of an atomic war among individuals. Ralph and Jack share a similar relationship, where they actually never fight each other, but they come very close to, especially in the end
• “something about his eyes and mouth that proclaimed no devil” — Ralph’s innocence
  • The direct reference to the devil shows how Golding believed mankind possesses an inherent evil. Ralph remains innocent and civilized the longest throughout the novel. This is another example of his contrasting character to Jack who becomes savage nearly upon his arrival
• “That was Simon… That was murder.” — Is not perfect
  • Ralph’s perfection is glorified on the island: he doesn’t get bullied because he is not an outcast, like Piggy, and his looks, along with other superficial factors, gain him the position of chief. However, along with the other boys, he is no exception to Golding’s argument that mankind is inherently evil. Golding experienced the worst during his service in WW2, where he was a lieutenant in the navy. He assisted in the D-Day event
• “Something good about a fire. Something overwhelmingly good” — Desire to be rescued
  • This is arguing against the idea behind R.M Ballantyne’s 'Coral Island’, where the stranded group of boys flourished in the natural environment

Piggy…

• “Piggy’s arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig’s” — Death presented like hunt of the pig
• “Piggy rubbed his glasses slowly and thought” — Specs represent insightfulness
• “Acting like a crowd of kids” — Parental figure on the island 
• “I was with him when he found the conch” — Loyalty to Ralph
• “We don’t want you” — Outcast on the island
• “Shut up,…