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Final thoughts...

Well… I finally did it. I finished this literary classic that I had never intended on reading, on adding to my list of reads. In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting much of this book. At first, I had compared it endlessly to Maze Runner, to only realise the vast differences. I had thought this would be a dull read, something that I would have to force myself to accomplish. That is, until I realised how truly interesting this book had been, and how it truly made me reflect on certain themes demonsrated in this story. Lord of the Flies is one story that I would never forget, a story that will stay with me forever. The characters illustrated intrigued me to no end, and after reading the last word upon this story had left me craving for more of this story, to know how the boys had grown up to be like, how they had dealt with each other afterwards.

This story had left me wanting more, wanting more of this story, the characters. I guess the hardest part of reading a book, is closing it when the last chapter had been finished. I never thought that Lord of the Flies would leave me wanting more, and I had certainly thought I would be glad upon finishing this story.

Golding ends his masterpiece on a relatively open ending, leaving the reader pondering over certain questions, such as:

What happens to Ralph?

Are they able to return to normal?

Will Jack return to who he was?

Will Jack turn murderous when he grows up?

This story had undoubtedly been one of the greatest, honestly. It is no question as to why this had been deemed one of the greatest stories to ever be written, or why books such as Maze Runner, or Hunger Games had sold so successfully. I adore the themes represented, the questions arisen, and the metaphors that leave you wondering.

I applaud Golding for writing this book, for sharing it with the world.

To conclude, The Lord of the Flies had undeniably been a pleasure to read. It had me lost in its world, it had transported me to the island. It had put me in Ralph’s shoes, and led me wondering whether I would survive if I was in that situation. It is a book that I would recommend to classic-story lovers everywhere

I am not a big fan of classics, as I had stated earlier. But this is certainly a classic that will stay with me forever.

#lotf #ididitguys #englishhwdone

#lotf

Squad Goals asf

#lotf

Chapter 12: Cry of the Hunters

Now all alone, Ralph is in hiding reflecting over his injuries. He also begins to reminisce the memories of the boys who he had ben stranded on this island with, before they became animals. This is indicated when Ralph recalls the boy named Bill, in which he later changes his mind and instead says, “this was a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirt”.

Just as I had stated countless times in my previous blogs, this only further demonstrates the immense transition in the boys, since they first landed on the island. Golding is confirming that they are no longer who they used to be. At the moment of hopelessness, and after witnessing Robert enjoying himself on fried pig, Ralph debates whether he should just give in and join Jack’s tribe, as a matter of surviving, or to lead on alone. Ralph realises the foolish thought, as he would never go with savages who murdered two of his friends.

Fleeing from his spot, he ends up on the clearing where The Lord of the Flies is located. The pig’s head never fails to send chills up my spine, through the sinister way Golding had described it. The pig’s head emits an ominous aura, triggering Ralph to feel frightened and negative emotions, prodding him to beat up the head. He feels as if the pigs head is alive. Feeling utterly alone, Ralph once again wonders whether the humanity is still alive in the savages, whether they were still the same schoolboys who he had known.

Later that night he hears the familiar chanting of the savages, and spots Sam and Eric. He approaches them and tells them to come with him again, but they refuse in fear of Jack, and Roger. They spill the plans of the two leaders, revealing that they plan on hunting Ralph and ending him. It seems as if Roger is a crueler leader, as when Ralph tries one more time to get Samneric to follow him, they refuse speaking their fears on Roger, and his cruelty.

Ralph later departs from his friends and hides behind a thicket, trying to get sleep. At night he hears cries of pain from Sam and Eric, and I assume that they are being tortured by Roger. The next morning he sees Jack, Roger, and one of the twins standing outside his hiding spot. Samneric were forced to betray Ralph and reveal his hiding spot, by means of torture and interrogation, demonstrated by Roger’s menacing personality.

They draw Ralph out by attacking his hiding spot, setting it alight and trapping him inside to die. He manages to escape, and attempts to run from the tribe. This is proven to be difficult, however, as the tribe is spread throughout the area and utters a signal whenever they spot Ralph. As he is being chased, Ralph tries desperately to think of what to do, what choice he should make to escape them.

He catches a glimpse of The Lord of the Flies in the smoke, realising that the savages had brought him out into the open, by setting the entire island on fire. He chooses a hiding spot that conceals him in darkness, hoping that he would not be seen, and that the savages would not think to search there. Unfortunately he is spotted and forced to run again, exhaustion catching up to him, causing him to trip over a log falling hopelessly down a hill.

Ralph falls onto the feet of a naval officer (OH MY GOSH PRAISE THE HEAVENS THEY ARE RESUCED OMGGGG), whose ship had witnessed the smoke and sailed over to investigate. The naval officer seems to think that the boys had been playing a little game, jokingly asking if anyone had been killed in which Ralph says 2 had. The Naval Officer later asks who is boss, and Ralph answers loudly that he is. Jack advances forward to protest, but then changes his mind and does not debate against it.

At the last moments of the book, the emotions that had been building up within Ralph, the dam that was on the verge of destruction, finally broke. He began to sob for the loss of Piggy and Simon, mourning the loss of his childish innocence that was cruelly replaced by the scorching memory of his time on the island. It was understandable, through the final words written on the page, that Ralph would never again be the same, and would forever be haunted by the nightmarish experience on this hellish island.

#lotf

So Piggy died.

#lotf

“We won’t be painted, because we aren’t savages.”

Lord of the Flies

#lotf

Chapter 11: Castle Rock

Now that they are without Piggy’s fire, Ralph has absolutely no way whatsoever to create the fire. This triggers his fury, and leads him to feel desperately lost and unsure of what to do. Through Golding’s writing I was able to feel the hopelessness in Ralph, and the desperation to get off the island. It only demonstrates just how much this story had grown on me, as well as the characters, if certain situations begin to spark emotions in me.

Ralph then begins to vent his anger, exclaiming that if Jack had only asked, he would have given the fire to them, preventing this whole incident. Piggy does this as well, demonstrating that he will go over to Jack and forcefully demand him to hand over his glasses back. The boys now refer to Jack’s tribe as the savages the pain a somehow symbol towards their definite change in personality and appearance. Together they begin to head over the Jack’s tribe, planning to demand back Piggy’s glasses. It is understandable that Piggy still holds great respect towards the conch, the last ‘symbol’ of power and authority that they possess and the other tribe does not. He carries it with him on their way to Jack’s tribe, as if to remind Jack that he does not hold the true qualities of a chief. As they approach, Roger spots them. Ralph demands to see Jack, and not long after Jack returns from hunting.

Golding desribes Jack as only being recognisable through his hair, demonstrating that Jack was a somewhat stranger to them. An argument sparks immediately, Ralph exclaiming that if only they had asked for fire, they would have given. The argument soon turns to a fight, all the while Piggy beds Ralph to stay by him, since he was not well i defending himself. As the fight progresses, Piggy brings Ralph out of his murderous rage, reminding him of why they had come. Ralph tries to reason with them gently, but Jack does not falter. He orders his followers to tie Sam and Eric up, representing his authority and power, leading Ralph to charge at him.

Piggy finally catches their attention, and the others listen to him briefly. Whilst this is happening, Ralph hears faint noises, which is Roger throwing rocks down. He does not give this further thought, however. Piggy tries to speak sense into the other tribe, but they do not listen. Eventually, Roger silences Piggy, by throwing a large rock at his head. The rock strucks Piggy, causing him to fall over the cliff, ultimately killing him. Golding places great emphasis on this scene, the last person with true reasoning to now be gone. He also illustrates the shattering of the conch, the last item of who they were before this whole mess, now diminished.

But…honestly….

WHAT THE HECK GOLDING????? WHY PIGGY? WHY HIM OUT OF ALL THE CHARACTERS YOU COULD HAVE KILLED. WHY NOT JACK, THAT LITTLE POMPOUS AS$.

Ralph is shocked by this, reacting slowly as Jack and the others begin prodding him with spears. He is injured, and runs away, now all alone, leaving Sam and Eric. Roger seems to assert authority as he stands before Sam and Eric, after murdering the only true leader on the island.

#lotf

Jack, Ralph and Piggy:

Before Jack became an animal

#lotf

Chapter 10: The Shell and The Glasses

Ralph and Piggy have returned to their base, moments after what had unfortunately occurred. They act on a solemn manner after witnessing Simon’s death, and begin to grieve in their own way. They kneel in front of the Chief’s seat in which the conch lies upon. Ralph begins to reflect on what had happened, and feels incredibly guilty and frightened over the murder of his friend. Ralph and Piggy both discuss Simon’s death, resulting in Ralph acting slightly hysterical and Piggy attempting to soothe him, saying that what had happened was an accident.

Ralph later expresses that he just wishes that they could return home. Golding also acknowledges how there seems to only be four left out of the large group of boys that begun at first; Sam, Eric, Piggy and Ralph. The scene later transitions to Jack’s tribe, where Jack treats his followers as if they were his slaves, or soldiers. This is demonstrated by the sophisticated way they communicate with each other, and how he is referred to as ‘The Chief’. He treats them cruelly and even tortures those who disobey or displease him. As they discuss matters, the topic of the beast arises and they agree that the beast uses a ‘disguise’. Planning to make a feast, Jack plots on stealing fire from Ralph.

As the scene again returns to Ralph, they are seemingly attempting to build a fire. Eventually, it is acknowledged that their hope is beginning to fade, and that they are beginning to question why they even bother to continue.

Ralph starts to dream of the day that they will finally leave the island. Piggy reminds him that they need the fire in order to be rescued, and so together they create a successful fire and relish in their accomplishment. Later they hear a noise in the darkness. A voice starts to whisper Piggy’s name, drawing him to them, and they think that it is the beast.

But it is Jack, and his hunters.

They begin acting like animals, as Jack pounces out and ambushes Ralph. They attack each other, snarling, biting, clawing, as if they were tigers in a deadly battle. Things begin to get more violent and graphic, as Golding describes Ralph using his fist as a hammer to pound against the other’s face.

I applaud the way Golding had written this scene, illustrating the entirety of their blood frenzy and how vastly they had changed since they had first landed upon the island. The violent fight results in the shelter collapsing, and the attackers withdraw as quickly as they came. Piggy, thinking that they came to take the conch, realises what they had taken instead. Jack and his hunters had taken the specs, the only source of creating fire on the island.

#lotf

Why, Golding, why

#lotf

Chapter 9: View to a death

The title of this chapter was enough to leave me questioning what will happen. I swear if my favourite character dies...

Following only moments after Simon’s meeting with the Lord of the Flies, he had woken up after fainting moments after his meeting with lotf. It was clear that the meeting with lotf had definitely changed Simon, leaving him slightly traumatised, acknowledged through the quote, “The usual brightness was gone from his eyes and he walked with a sort of glum determination like an old man.”

It seems as if the lotf had sucked the happiness from Simon, similarly to what a Dementor does in Harry Potter. Simon decides that he should warn everybody of the beast, and therefore as he staggers through the forest he spots Jack’s squad, but mistakes it for Ralph’s. Ralph and Piggy are bathing in the water, and begin to wonder where the rest of their tribe is. They realise that they had gone to Jack’s feast, and decide that they should probably go to.

We are able to decipher Ralph’s true thoughts on the other tribe, claiming that they were “pretending to be a tribe, and putting on war paint” demonstrating that he thought Jack’s squad did not possess the qualities of a true tribe.

As Ralph and Piggy approach Jack’s ‘feast’, readers are able to easily decipher the differences in Ralph’s way of leading, and Jack’s way of leading. Jack seems to be more carefree, similar to your typical teenager in today’s society. Golding describes the feast as a ‘party’ and I could not help but picture a typical teenage party in this century’s time. Golding explains that they had been singing, laughing, dancing, and eating their meals off of coconut shells.

Jack seems to think he is some sort of King, evident through the line, “Jack rose from the log that was his throne”. It is also demonstrated through his actions,as he seemingly orders his followers to give him a drink, and his stance screams authority and power. Tension arises soon after Ralph and Piggy arrive at the party, and soon the ‘fun and happiness’ transitions into the threat of violence.

What I have noticed, about Golding, is that he likes to incorporate hidden meanings behind certain incidents, or moments in the book, such as through the quote, “All at once thunder struck. Instead of the dull bloom, there was a point of impact in the explosion”. This seems to demonstrate the intensity of the argument that heats between Ralph and Jack, or the unmistakable difference between the two, tearing their relationship into something that can no longer be fixed. It is vividly obvious the large change in Jack’s personality. At this point, he is no longer human, and instead someting more of an animal to me. Jack demandingly asks who will join his tribe, and more begin to take his side. Ralph attempts to reason with Jack, and it is obvious that his ideas are more logical now than before (due to Piggy), whilst Jack is laid back and careless, more concerned with having ‘fun’.

As it starts to rain, Ralph and Piggy become concerned of their wellbeing, claiming that they have shelter and questioning what Jack would do. Instead, Jack begins to dance in the rain with his hunters. Their chanting and dancing soon turned into something much more different, more animal-like. They chant over and over, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”

Simon stumbles out of the forest, and into the situation, however he is referred to as the ‘beast’. The hunters form a horseshoe shape and cry out the chant, fearing the beast. Simon tries to tell them of the dead man on the mountain, but they do not listen. He stumbles forward and falls off a cliff, whilst the hunters run after it and kill Simon. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! The chapter ends with SImon’s dead body being taken out into sea….

I AM DONE WITH ALL MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS ALWAYS DYING D”XX

#lotf #fml #hatethis #nosimon #simonwasbae #simonwasmyfavecharacter #damnauthors

After reading chapter 8:

#lotf

Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill

Lord of the Flies

#lotf

THEORYTHEORYTHEORYTHEORY

After reading Chapter 8, my mind felt as if it was about to explode due to the large amount of reasoning and thinking that had begun as soon as I read the last syllable on the chapter.

Of course, the beast is none other than the Lord of the Flies, which is unusually a pigs head stuck upon a stick.

What I believe, however, is that this beast is a representation of all our fears, of our nightmares. Earlier in the book, the littuns were the first ones to witness this ‘beast’. Traditionally, children are usually the ones to experience nightmares, and harbour the strongest fear and beliefs.

It is no question as to why they would have witnessed the beast first, for they were on an island stranded, they were bound to be haunted with fears. Of course, as the story progressed, the older kids began to experience fears of their own. This is demonstrated when Ralph expressed his fears of never getting of the island. Simon is the first to confront this ‘beast’ for he seems to be scared of being judged and unaccepted into the group.

The beast ominously declares how Simon will never be able to escape him, just as we cannot escape our fears, or nightmares. As a result, I strongly believe that the LOTF, this beast is a metaphor for our fears, and nightmares.

I don’t know, I could be wrong.

#lotf

The Lord of the Flies everybody

#lotf

Chapter 8 (Review 2)

Chapter 8 (review 2)

Following from that, Ralph and Piggy decide to build their own fire that isn’t up on the mountain, to experiment whether it still makes smoke despite it being on low ground. As they search for the boys to assist them, they begin to realise just how many have joined Jack’s tribe, affecting the work they require to get done. Meanwhile, Jack declares himself chief of the new tribe, which consits mainly of hunters. To celebrate this, they kill a *wait for it* pig for a feast. During this, they act like bloodthirty animals, ravenous for flesh and laugh manically when they finally kill the pig, relishing in their victory. They seemingly chant their victory in a bloodthirsty manner. Jack decapitates the pigs head, placing it atop of a stick as an offering towards the beast, thinking that the beast would accept and therefore leave them peacefully. Simon witnesses these events unfold before him, and stands alone with the pig head.

Golding describes the pig in a sinister manner, making me feel slightly frightened by the pig and wondering as to why he would write it in this way. As Simon stands before him, the pig is referred to as ‘The Lord of the Flies’, due to the swarm of flies around its head. The great plot twist in the chapter, is when The Lord of the Flies begins to speak. I found this strange, and unusual, as usually pig heads most definitely do not talk. And of coure, The Lord of the Flies is indeed the beast. As I read the remaining pages of this chapter, Golding had led me to believe that the LOTF, or the beast, is a somesort of metaphor to the beasts that instead live within us. This is because of the fact that the Lord of the Flies taunts Simon, claiming that he was a silly boy. This also adds to my suspicions, when the beast says, “You knew, didn’t you? I’m a part of you. Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why thinks are what they are.”

Overall, this chapter was by far the most interesting I had read so far.

#lotf

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