11:LofF

Piggy Lives Here:

Go here: http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

Then type in “Camberwell, United Kingdom.” Now let the mouse take you on a walk through Piggy’s neighbourhood.

1940′s House, the TV Show: Part I of a kind of reality show made in England in which a 2001 family lived in a 1940′s house and lived their lives as if they were living in 1940′s England. The house was then moved to the Imperial War Museum. The boys in Lord of the Flies would have lived like this as very young children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4x5drU9mAk&feature=related

Typical House in 1940′s England:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/image_galleries/1940s_house_gallery.shtml?1

http://www.iwm.org.uk/exhibitions/the-children’s-war

The Movie Simon Tells What it Was Like Filming LoF in 1963: http://www.forestdata.com/lordstory.htm

Article on How they Filmed the Movie (Spoiler Alert: It tells what happens in the story. Don’t read if you want to find out as we read in class.) http://criterioncollection.blogspot.com/2005/11/43-lord-of-flies.html

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SYMBOLISM IN LORD OF THE FLIES: THE PEOPLE

PIGGY: represents reason and intelligence, civilization. Remains an individual, claiming his individual rights and destroyed for it; exemplifies rights and sanity on an island on which rights and sanity do not apply. Piggy’s body is weak and his mind is strong; on the island, only power and strength of the body is important. The way Piggy is treated is a gauge of the degeneration of the boys.

RALPH: represents the well bred, genteel upper and middle class; represents leadership within democracy; is an elected leader. Ralph is an “everyman,” an all round, basically good person.

JACK: represents man’s amoral nature, the darkness in man; evil; military or authoritarian power, dictatorship; naked, ruthless power which absorbs or annihilates; fascist power; he is a hunter and killer, obsessed with blood lust.

SIMON: represents intuitive wisdom, the part of man sensitive to beauty, truth, and spirituality; a Christ figure; he has wisdom and insight, rather than wisdom; he is a prophet (He prophecies that Ralph will get off the island and Ralph remembers Simon’s words and clings to them.); he is understanding and compassionate, always surrounded in symbolic sunshine and light.

ROGER: represents the true follower; he is like a soldier: obedient, mindless of consequences, following orders. In a totalitarian society, Roger would be the torturer and executioner; he would uphold the authority of the police state and be upheld by it.

SAM N’ ERIC: represents the unthinking masses in society, those who labour and follow their leader without questioning. (Sheeple.) They are good citizens, each indistinguishable from the other. They elect a leader and follow obediently; they can be swayed in any direction.

 SYMBOLISM IN LORD OF THE FLIES: OBJECTS

THE CONCH: represents communication; a symbol of authority, power, democratic government

THE BEASTIE: represents the fear that is in all humans: the fear of the unknown. As the story progresses, the boys’ beliefs about the Beastie change (as do our fears as we get older.) Talking about the Beastie is almost a taboo. There are actually seven Beasties:

1. the snakes in the jungle (creepers): real objects distorted by fear
2. the beast in the Night (actually Simon wandering around): fear of ghosts and the supernatural
3. the beast from the sea (squid): representing the boys’ own fears projected
4. the beasts they kill (pigs, and —–): blood lust
5. the beast by the fire (the airman): the last of the grownups’ world, representing death and corruption
6. the beast from the air (the airman in the tree): representing the evil which makes men kill each other
7. the “Lord of the Flies,” the pig’s head: evil in the world; evil in mankind

PIGGY’S GLASSES: represents reason, enlightenment; they are a link to civilization and necessary for rescue. Without them, Piggy would be almost blind; without Piggy, the boys would be almost blind.

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN: ancient symbolism: the mountain is the traditional place of retreat where one goes to pray or meditate; fire represents hope, progress, and in this case, rescue.

THE LORD OF THE FLIES: the pig’s head on a stick “sharpened at both ends” represents the devil; Beelzebub, one of the names of Satan, the prince of the demons; means “Lord of the Flies”

THE CRUISER: represents civilization, neatness and order; man’s reason devoted to war and killing in an orderly fashion

 SYMBOLISM IN LORD OF THE FLIES: SETTING

DARKNESS AND LIGHT: standard Western symbolism: light = goodness, dark = evil. Note the use of this symbolism throughout the novel. From the beginning, Jack is comfortable in the dark jungle and can even see in the dark. Simon is almost exclusively seen in sunshine (with butterflies around him.) Ralph and Simon build shelters to protect the boys from the dark. The dark is associated with the children’s fear of the Beastie. In the end, when the boys are hunting Ralph, he determines, in the darkness of the thicket, that he will kill to survive.

THE LAGOON:  symbolizes a place of safety and irresponsibility. it is where the story begins and where the story ends.

THE ISLAND: initially like a Paradise, it degenerates into a blazing inferno: Paradise becomes Hell.

THE BEACH: familiar playground; place of light and reason.

THE JUNGLE: place of fear, struggle, and lust, but containing the fruit and pigs needed for food; hence, it symbolizes the world of competitive struggle to make a living.

CASTLE ROCK: fort, place of security for the tribe, center of military authority.

THE SEA: represents authority; its nature is uncaring, indifferent; it is a barrier and a path to rescue. Whenever anyone dies, they are washed out to sea (eternity.)

THE WEATHER: the weather reflects the boys’ emotions; heat represents passion; the swift fall of darkness represents fear of the unknown; when the storms come, the boys’ violence is released.

SYMBOLISM IN LORD OF THE FLIES: THE MEANING OF THE BOYS’ NAMES

RALPH: from the Anglo-Saxon, means “counsel”, or in effect, “leader”

JACK: from the Hebrew “Jacob,” meaning “one who supplants”: in the Old Testament, Jacob found his brother Esau’s weak spot and legally tricked him out of his birthright

SIMON: from the Hebrew, means “listener”; Simon Peter was also one of the disciples of Christ

PIGGY: we never know Piggy’s real name, but his “given” name of Piggy is important because he will be disparaged and hunted like the pigs on the island

ROGER: from the German, means “spear.” Roger’s power is the use of brute force.

SAM N’ ERIC: their names are fused into one, indicating their loss of identity as individuals

SYMBOLISM IN LORD OF THE FLIES: THE USE OF NAMES

Names are very significant in Lord of the Flies. The main characters’ names have something to do with their roles within the story. Certain boys’ names we never learn; the little ‘uns and big ‘uns are groups of boys known only by their age and size, for example. Some boys lose their names, and one boy forgets his by the end of the story. When you read old legends and tales, you find that characters were cautious about revealing their names. A person was believed to have power over another if he knew his name. A man who wanted to protect himself against his enemies made up a name and did not tell his real one.