Lord of the Flies
EXTRACT 2
p.17-21 « they're all dead »
1. The scene takes place on the platform next to the beach. Ralph and Piggy have found a
conch/shell on the beach. Ralph has blown it and the other lost boys, drawn by the sound
of the shell, start appearing one by one...
2. The boys all come to the beach, at first one by one, then a group, the choir, shows up.
They're dressed in black gowns/cloaks and their chief, the chapter chorister, is Jack
Merridew. Piggy wants to know all the boys' names. Jack tells him to shut up and calls him
« fatty », which makes all the boys laugh at him, including Ralph. Jack says he ought
to/should be chief because he is chapter chorister. The other boys don't agree and Roger
says they should have a vote, which they do. Ralph is elected, but seeing that Jack is
mortified, offers to let him lead the choir still. It is decided that three boys will go on an
expedition to determine whether/if they're on an island or not (Jack, Ralph and Simon).
Piggy wants to go with them but they reject him. He follows them nonetheless.
3. New characters are introduced in this extract :
One by one
The Choir
Johnny
Youngest boy, fair and sturdy hair. Half-naked. He likes putting
his thumb in his mouth like a baby, probably because he's
scared.
Sam'n'Eric
(p.20) Twin brothers. Bullet-headed, straight blondish hair
(« like tow (filasse)»). They behave a bit like dogs. They can't
close their mouths. Cheery, chunky and vital. They're like one
person.
Jack Merridew
Leader of the choir. Wears a black cloak, a black cap with a
golden badge. Jack is also the tallest boy in the choir.
Maurice
Grins all the time, he's next in size in the choir (after Jack),
he's broad.
Roger
Slim/slight, furtive, avoids the other boys/keeps to himself,
secret, mutters, no one knows him
Bill, Robert, Harold,
Henry
Simon
No info
Faints all the time, skinny, vivid little boy with straight coarse
black hair
4. The narrator is external but he is not omniscient. He just describes the scene as he
discovers it. He gives us very little information as to how the characters feel and about what
they think. He is not entirely objective, as he gives us analyses of behaviours (ex : « Ralph
looked at him, eager to offer something... ». We're like one of the boys and have to interpret
what happens (the way the boys behave, their gestures, their facial expressions, the things
they say...). The reader has to make sense of the narrator's descriptions.
5.
Ralph
Jack
Physical
description
Tall
Tall, thin, bony
attractive appearance
red hair, blue eyes
very self-confident (« stillness about long black clothes (chief of the choir)
him » : shows he is relaxed)
(symbolism of power -if unjustified)
personality
Personality of a leader
Impolite, arrogant, aggressive (p.17 : towards
he has natural authority
Piggy)
the other boys like him (he's got the Very self-confident, assertive, although he's not
behaviour
conch : symbol of power)
charismatic
as self-confident as he seems (reacts badly
when the boys elect Ralph)
likes power
jealous of Ralph (mortified when the other boys
elect him)
Can be authoritarian : tells Piggy to
shut up
probably feels powerful because he has
the conch
betrays Piggy by making fun of him
(tells the other boys his nickname) and
rejects him (shut up, he doesn't want
him to go on the expedition although it
was his idea)
unfair on Piggy
nice with Jack (shares his power with
him)
Arrogant (p.17, p.23 bottom)
authoritarian (a lot more than Ralph)
nasty with the other boys except Ralph (doesn't
care whe Simon faints, calls Piggy « Fatty »,
tells them to shut up, generally bosses them
around/he's a bossyboots)
he bullies the other
Both Ralph and Jack are tall, self-confident and authoritarian. Jack is more arrogant then Ralph
and treats the other boys badly. Jack wants power and is very serious whereas Ralph doesn't
say he wants power and seems to be more relaxed than Jack. Jack behaves like a powerhungry adult while Ralph behaves like a child, if sometimes seriously. Ralph seems more
human than Jack, although he's not perfect : he treats Piggy badly for instance, probably
because he needs to be a bit of a bully to assert his power and boost his self-confident.
6. Jack's black gown symbolically represents authority and power. Like a religious
garment/piece of clothing, it gives him instant charisma/clout, although it might be
unjustified. Wearing a black cloak in this environment is both impressing and inappropriate.
The black colour is probably a bad omen. Jack's black cloak might represent death or his
dark soul and his negative authority over the choir or possibly destruction. In any case, it
gives off negative vibes. The choir could be like a sect. His black clothes and red hair
suggest he could embody the devil.
7. The boys elect a chief, thus recreating a form of democracy, yet it seems that only the
strongest characters can hold power. It seems that a character such as Piggy cannot be
chief. Jack declares he wants to be chief and should be chief, yet the boys vote for Ralph,
who never actually says he wants to be their leader.
8. However, Ralph is elected for the wrong reasons. He doesn't speak and his power is
derived from his appearance : he's good-looking, tall, one of the older boys and most of all
he has the conch, the symbol of power... We can wonder whether he is goign to be a good
leader, as we're not sure he wants to be one. Jack's personal ambition shows that he wants
to be chief for the wrong reasons as well. Just because he's chapter chorister in a choir and
can sing C sharp would not make of him a good leader, especially not when we think that
he just wants power to satisfy his ego and not for the good of the group. Both boys have a
charisma that no other boy has, but not necessarily the right qualities to lead the group. In
Lord of the Flies, power is not based on legitimate reasons. Just like in Hobbes' social
contract, they trade their liberty for safety. We may wonder whether Ralph is going to be
able to provide that safety and create a group cohesion, some individuals like Jack being
likely to challenge his authority.
We may wonder how the group is going to evolve, and whether it will follow Rousseau idea's of
nature and nurture (l'inné et l'acquis).
9. The legitimate chief would ideally have the best organisational skills and want to lead the
group to save and protect it. One such person could be Piggy, who comes up with the best
ideas concerning the organisation of the group. He's the one who knows they need to to
know how many boys there are, as well as their names for example. We can remember that
in the first extract, he is more concerned and realistic about the situation than Ralph, who
has just been elected chief. However, we understand that because of his problems (he's
quite short, fat, wears glasses and has asthma) he lacks the necessary charisma to win
over the group. At the end of our extract, he is rejected by Ralph and Jack when he wants
to go with them on an expedition to find out if they're on an island. If Piggy stands for
reason, we can guess that it will not prevail in the book. The boys have made their choice :
they will follow the stronger-looking and ignore the voice of reason. Will the weak be able to
survive in such conditions or will social Darwinism prevail (survival of the fittest) ?