Chapter 4 Questions- Lord of the Flies
By: Loizza, Dylan, Taylor, Amila, Tanisha, Jessica, Emily
1. Describe the behavior of the boys at the beginning of the chapter. What
thematic significance (message) does this scene have? /5
At the beginning of this chapter there is a quote that says, “They became
accustomed to these mysteries and ignored them, just as they ignored the
miraculous, throbbing stars.” This particular statement has a lot of meaning - it
indicates the beginning of change, or a turning point in the story. At the beginning of
the story, all the boys would be afraid of the strange things happening in the forest,
they were living in fear. Now, at the beginning of chapter 4, it shows how the boys
are becoming at home on the island, and adapting to their surroundings. They’re
starting to simply ignore the odd things happening around them, and just accept it.
Despite being stranded on an island, they seem to have become generally lighthearted about the whole situation, and their society is beginning to change. Some of
the boys, specifically Jack, are becoming somewhat animalistic and carelessly wild.
For example, at the beginning of the story, some of the boys were doing typical
things like fighting over sandcastles and pushing eachother over. In chapter four,
there is a hint to the end of these innocent acts and the start of something more
serious.
2. Why does Maurice walk away when Percival starts crying, and why doesn't
Roger throw the stones directly at Henry? What does their behavior suggest?
/5
(Dylan)
Maurice walks away when Percival starts crying because he kicked sand into
the littlun's eye and felt bad. Even though there are no parents around, he knew it
was a wrong thing to do. Before coming to the island he would have gotten in trouble
for this and so it was a natural thing to feel bad for what he had done. Roger never
threw the stones directly at Henry because of the same reason. He knew that hitting
him was wrong and against all rules of his old life and so he was holding on to that
by not hitting him, by following the rules. Although no one would stop them or really
do anything about it both boys still find they should follow the basic rules of society. I
think this behaviour suggests that human nature stays with us no matter the situation
or place and that everyone has it in them no matter how bad they may seem. Human
nature has it's rules and boundaries and no matter what, we feel compelled to follow
them.
3. /5(Tanisha)
In the following chapter Jack experimented with applying red and white clay
along with black lines made with charcoal. The idea was to use the paint as
camouflage while they hunted. When they wore the face paint it acted as a form of
mask. They felt that a boy wearing paint could do anything he wanted without any
feelings of shame or guilt. Wearing the paint on their face made them feel stronger
and proud to hunt as a group.
4. How do the Hunters behave in response to the success of the hunt, and
what is the significance of this behavior? /3
Since the hunt was mainly led by Jack, Jack felt quite satisfied with the
capture of the hunt. Through out the beginning of the story there is sections where
they discuss about the pig that Jack, Ralph, and Simon saw the pig. (pg 28-29)
This pig becomes a big part of the story. Once Jack saw the pig he could have killed
he couldn't keep his mind off of the animal. He was disappointed with himself
because he didn't kill the pig. He wanted the pride to kill the pig so he kept his main
focus on hunting in order to complete himself and make him feel powerful. The pig
caused the behaviour of the hunters to be proud, and satisfied with what they have
accomplished because the pig was such a valuable object to their survival. But when
Jack took the hunters to hunt the pig he took the people who were suppose to watch
over the fire. This later caused Jack a lot of trouble. It caused Jack trouble because
the other kids claim to have saw a boat, and since the fire was out the boat couldn't
see them. Ralph was all about getting rescued and all Jack cared about was hunting
down a pig. While Jack was in glory he was also being punished and howled at from
Ralph. The behaviour that the hunters gave of from success led the majority of the
boys to believe Jack had done the right thing. They had lost their first chance at
rescue but they believe capturing the pig was more important. The significance of
this behaviour is showing how Ralph may lose his power because everyone was so
worked up about the pig and totally forgot about being rescued. Therefore being
rescued didn't play a big part in every one else's mind. I believe that this part of the
story was so detailed was because this was the part that caused the chaos between
Ralph and Jack. The conflict with Ralph and Jack will play the biggest role in the
story. The behaviour of the hunters is what led up to the big conflict between Jack
and Ralph. Ralph is fighting for his position as the leader but when people are
hungry all that matters is getting food to eat and survive. If they can survive on the
island then they won't need to be rescued. Therefore Jacks power of hunting will
slowly rule over and Ralph will have to fall down.
5. How does Ralph "assert his chieftainship" after the argument with the
hunters? Why do you think this gesture is so effective?
/3
Ralph asserted his chieftainship by giving the group the task of lighting the
fire. Giving the boys the task of lighting the fire got everyone to refocus and start
working again. I think the gesture was so important because if Ralph didn't step up
and change the subject, the boys argument would have lasted a lot longer. It worked
well because it seemed like Ralph was starting to move past the anger and forget
about what happened instead of holding a grudge. This shows leadership in Ralph.
/7 #6
Since Jack had a success at hunting meat, many problems and conflicts will
arise. One of them being the power of leadership between Jack and Ralph. Both
Jack and Ralph seem to be leaders, but two very different types of society. Ralph is
more about thinking of the future. His goal is to get off the island and he is willing to
do anything to make it happen. Ralph reassures the littluns’ and tells them that
they’re going to eventually get rescued, as oppose to Jack who tells them that they
are never getting saved. Jack is about living in the moment. As a leader, it seems as
if Ralph is an optimist and Jack is hinting on the side of pessimism. Jack seems to
have a different vision of living than Ralph does. Both of the two “leaders” also both
have different goals and mind sets. Ralph wants to get off the island, so prioritizes
keeping the fire alive. The purpose of the fire was not just to keep them warm, but
also to be a sign for rescue if anyone passes by the island by chance. Keeping the
fire alive was Jack’s responsibility. Jack left the fire to go catch a pig and in result the
fire died while a ship was around the island. The kids were excited about eating the
meat that they caught. All of the littluns were telling the story about the adrenaline
they got and what went down while catching the pig. Though I don’t think they were
really aware of the ship and how much better it would be to get rescued. Littluns’
were too busy living in the moment and they didn’t realize that if they listed to Ralph
and kept the fire alive, they would no longer have to hunt and find their food. At this
point in the book you can sense Ralph's idea of rescue has become less of a priority
to the boys. Many are siding with Jack and have lost hope in leaving the island.
Ralph is frustrated with the group because they had an opportunity to be rescued
and they let the ship get away. The separation of the two leaders is driving society
apart. Without a resolution chaos is surely to break out.
/3 #7
Discuss the thematic significance of the title of the chapter.
The chapter name 'Painted Faces and Long Hair' has a great significance to the
story's development of moral and message. The title of chapter four allows you to
connect to the slow evolution from civilization to savages. Painted Faces and Long
Hair reflects the hunters appearance and show how invested they are in killing.
During this point in the story it becomes clear violence is becoming a way of life and
survival. Painted Faces is symbolic. They are changing their way of society by
painting over sanity with violence. Long hair resembles the lose of humanity and the
drive towards a barbaric life style.