L ORD O F T HE F LIES Loss of Innocence, Maturity By Austin, Terri and Shane

T HEME STATEMENT When individuals who are inexperienced and uneducated are torn from civilization and forced to be self sufficient; then the individuals undergo moral and behavioral change. As a result there is a loss of innocence and a dilemma between responsibility and desire.

M ODERN LIFE Independence Forced to be more responsible at a young age Loss of childhood (children working, providing for their families in third world countries) Family complications (moving out young, loss or death of a parental figure, forced to take care of siblings)

E VENTS AND Q UOTES “They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood.” Fresh from the civilized world; Jack cannot bear to take the life of a piglet, trapped and helpless. We see from his hesitation to strike the death blow that Jack is influenced by compassion and was once just as innocent as Ralph or piggy

R ALPH Throughout the novel we see profound changes in the way Ralph acts and the way he see’s the world. “I could swim when I was five. Daddy taught me. He’s a commander in the Navy. When he gets leave he’ll come and rescue us.”p8 At the beginning of the novel, as we can see from his naïve assumption, Ralph still maintains a very childish perception of the world. He is content to think his father is coming already to rescue them “We’ve got to make smoke up there– or die.” p87 “And another thing. We nearly set the whole island on fire. And we wasted time, rolling rocks, and making little cooking fires. Now I say this and make it a rule, because I’m chief. We won’t have a fire anywhere but on the mountain. Ever.”p87 The lines spoken by Ralph at an assembly display the evident change Ralph has undergone due to his new responsibilities as chief. He is no longer a carefree child, but a chief who won’t hesitate to assert his authority in order to promote order and ensure survival.

E VENTS AND QUOTES “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Bash him in! Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering.”p125 Brutal and savage instincts have torn all civility and innocence from the boys including Ralph who is also caught up in the desire to hurt and kill.

E VENTS AND QUOTES “In the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.”p225 In the final moments of the book we see the effects of this total decent into barbarism. The boys hunt to kill one of their own, and would have no doubt succeeded had it not been for the navy captain.

L OSS OF INNOCENCE Killing Piggy Killing Simon Hunting Ralph Killing the Sow Chants, war paint and re-enactments Maturity Creating the signal fire Collecting food Making shelters Initial democracy How Ralph asserted authority with the conch

C LASS Q UESTIONS Is it possible after such a profound change as the loss of one’s innocence for things to return to the way they were? Can we assume the boys were affected afterward by the event of the island? In a good way or bad? Sir William Golding shows that man’s inborn allegiance is towards evil rather than good. Do you agree?