Notes for Presentation
INTRODUCTION
- characters, plot line, theme
PLOT
- island seems perfect; resembles garden of Eden
- boy mentions snakelike “beastie”; allusion to Satan
- leads to downfall of human race/represents arrival of evil. foreshadows chaos
JACK
- jack personifies satan; red hair, shared traits
- desires power over the boys; chapter chorister and head boy (p 22)
- Lucifer fell because he was proud of beauty and splendor; was cast out because he wanted to be served, not serve
- at first, Jack is content with commanding choir boys, but slowly becomes power hungry
- humiliates weaker members of the group
- targets people at their weakest; Jesus is tempted to turn stones to bread. Jack attacks the weakest of the group, Piggy
- takes control over boys; “painted and garlanded,” sits on his throne “like an idol.” (p. 149) wants to be worshiped
SIMON
- Simon is a Christ figure; understands human spirit
- shares name with apostle Simon Peter (Jesus’s inner circle)
- gives Piggy meat; only one nice to Piggy, the outcast; Peter defended non-Jewish converts to Christianity
- Simon goes to a place of peace; similar to the story in Luke when Jesus, on his way to Jericho, stops to give a blind man sight
- Simon is killed; the boys are temporarily insane
- page 153: ”At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt onto the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.”
- boys lost sanity; “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34) Boys are convinced that Simon is the beast; no idea they’re killing one of their own
THEME
- “Lord of the Flies,” (pig’s head on a stick) comes to life; Simon realizes that the beast (therefore evil) is in everyone; Biblically, everyone is born with sin
CONCLUSION
- infused with biblical allusions (character, plot line, theme all tied to Bible)
- Simon and Jack represent good and evil
- beginning of novel reflects garden of Eden
- as a whole, reflects a struggle between good and evil (God and Satan)
Biblical Aspects of Lord of the Flies
INTRODUCTION
Many critics argue that Lord of the Flies draws many characteristics from the Bible. There are many Biblical references in the novel, in the characters, the plot line, and even the theme.
PLOT
When the boys first arrive on the island, it seems perfect. They speculate on how much fun they’re going to have and how great it’s going to be. At first, the island resembles the Biblical garden of Eden, a perfect paradise. However, the peace on the island doesn’t last long; in the second chapter, one of the young boys mentions that he saw a snake-like “beastie” the night before. This is yet another allusion to the Bible; in Genesis, the scary man (Satan), first appears in the form of a snake. In the Biblical story, this leads to the downfall of the human race, resulting in death. In the novel, the snake represents the arrival of evil on the island and foreshadows the descent into chaos that soon follows.
JACK
Similarly, Jack seems to personify the scary man; he has red hair, representing evil, and shares many traits with the Satan of the Bible.
From the beginning of the novel, Jack desires power over the other boys. He thinks that he should be the leader of the group because he’s “chapter chorister and head boy.” (p 22) He’s excessively proud of his rank. The story of how Lucifer fell from heaven is based on his pride; he became proud on account of his beauty and splendor, and desired to be served rather than to serve God. For this reason, Lucifer was cast out of heaven with his followers.
We can see the progression of Jack from a faithful servant to a tyrant from the beginning of the novel to chapter nine. At first, Jack is content with commanding the choir boys, who are deemed hunters; however, he slowly becomes more power-hungry. He starts to challenge Ralph’s authority and exerts his own over the group. Several times, he humiliates the weaker members of the group, including Piggy, in order to underline his authority.
Like Satan, Jack targets people when they are at their weakest; in the Bible, Jesus is led into the wilderness and fasts for forty days and forty nights. The devil tempts and taunts him, telling him to turn stones to bread if he’s hungry. He tests Jesus when he is at his weakest. Similarly, Jack attacks the weakest of the group, Piggy, who suffers from asthma and can’t see without his glasses.
In chapter nine, Jack finally takes control over the boys. He encourages them to make offerings to the beast, playing on superstitions to incite fear. During the feast, he is “painted and garlanded,” and sits on his throne “like an idol.” (p. 149) The boys dance at his command (p. 151). It seems as though he desires to be worshiped, the very thing that Satan was cast from heaven for.
SIMON
On the other hand, Simon is something of a Christ figure; he is depicted as a wise character who understands the human spirit. He also shares his name with the apostle Simon Peter. Peter was a member of Jesus’s inner circle.
When Jack refuses to give Piggy any of the meat from the boys’ first kill, Simon gives Piggy his own, showing sacrificial kindness. Interestingly, Simon is the only one of the boys who is kind to Piggy, the outcast of the group. Simon Peter of the Bible was known for defending non-Jewish converts to the Christian faith, who were often looked down on in Bible times.
Early in the novel, Simon goes off by himself to a place of peace; however, on his way there, he comes across some of the younger boys, who are struggling to reach fruit from the higher branches. He pauses to help them until they are satisfied. This situation is reminiscent of a story told in Luke, one of the gospels of the Bible: when Jesus is on his way to Jericho, he stops to give a blind man his sight before going on his way.
In chapter nine, Simon is killed brutally by the boys. The boys are not in their right minds; they’ve lost themselves in the dance. Page 153: “At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt onto the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.” The boys have lost their sanity; this recalls the words of Jesus as men cast lots for his clothes while he was crucified: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34). The boys, at the time of the killing, are temporarily insane; they’re convinced that Simon is the beast, and they have no idea that they’re killing one of their own.
THEME
In chapter eight, we learn of the novel’s namesake: the so-called Lord of the Flies, the pig’s head on a stick, comes to life for Simon. Simon seems to realize that the beast, and therefore evil, is part of everyone; Biblically, every human is born with sin, since it is part of human nature.
CONCLUSION
Lord of the Flies is infused with many biblical allusions; the characters, the plot line, and the theme can all be tied to the Bible. Simon and Jack in particular represent good and evil Biblical characters respectively. The plot line, especially in the beginning of the novel, reflects the story of the garden of Eden. Lord of the Flies as a whole reflects a struggle between good and evil, similar to the struggle between God and Satan.
Am I the only one who closes the silverware drawer with an epic pelvic thrust?
(Source: bignickels)
That awkward moment when you’re sitting and eating with friends and someone says something disgusting, so everyone is like “eeeeww, I don’t want to eat anymore” and you’re like this:
(Source: norwayloves1d)
me: what is sleep
me: can i put it on a sandwich
when you’re playing hide and seek and can’t find anywhere to hide so when you hear ‘ready or not here i come’ you’re all like:
(Source: whoiamt0day)
When your math teacher makes you answer a problem on the board
and it’s difficult as hell
(Source: theannoyingskwid)
When people tell me I should stop being mean.
via sodamnrelatable
(Source: ohsomelissa)
